Bury Me: Abandoned
by Mrwood666
Summary: The world had gone grey and then it exploded. The last point of happiness ripped away and each step seemed to be keep her further away. (Violence, sexual content, etc...) Rated M for a reason. I don't own Fallout, it's characters, or dialogue. Plenty of original content, though.
1. Prelude

Prelude

Nora couldn't smile. The day was lovely with a clear sky and cool air and she could hear her baby boy cooing and gurgling across the hall, but all Nora could see was grey. One day to the next was all she could handle. She made sure the necessities were covered and Shaun was happy and was looking forward to returning to work and once again have a routine she wouldn't have to put too much thought into for a while.

It was near 9am on October 23rd and Nora had yet to get out of bed, even though she hated being in bed as it always seemed cold no matter the number of blankets she used. She currently was piled under five comforters and huddled on her side, facing outwards and as close to the edge as possible. The clock read 8:47am.

From the bedroom doorway, she never bothered to shut it, she heard the quiet hum of the Mr. Handy, Codsworth. He had been a present from Nate to help when deployed. Being a robot, Codsworth was had already registered her being aware of this presence, but still approached slowly to the bedside opposite Nora.

"Excuse me mum, but you had mentioned last evening there was some paperwork needing to be done and mailed off today? I do believe it is to complete the process of your return to work," he sounded awkward and unsure. Nora didn't know how a robot could do that, but Codsworth managed it. "I, ah, just want to let you know the mail carrier will most likely be here within an hour."

Nora hardly registered the words, but instead slowly breathed in and out, shoulders rising and falling with the air. She knew it was something she had to do, that she was fully able to do, but could not seem to find the energy to do so. From behind her she heard Codsworth give a digital sigh and begin to retreat from the room. Another intake of breath, Nora squeezed her eyes shut and slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Alright Codsworth, I'm coming."

The jet propelled floating steel ball that was Codsworth rotated all three eye stalks to her in astonishment. It was his duty, his programmed duty, to do everything he could to keep the household running smoothly and the residents of said household happy. Though initially it had been wonderful and simple, it had rapidly declined since January. Nora had struggled through pregnancy and a more than harrowing birth that had left her scarred in more ways than one, but since the birth she had gone deeper within herself. Each day was enough to do what was necessary and avoid interaction with others. Codsworth was constantly struggling to stay on that line between obedient and pushy to the point of breaking protocol.

"Jolly good mum, I'll make sure your coffee is ready!" he flew out of the room and hoped this was a step towards reclaiming the bright faced woman with the beautiful soul he had first met.

Nora shook her head at the exuberance and slowly rose from the bed, wincing at the stiffness in her joints from laying still for so long. One day and then another, and another after that. Just going through those motions so no one would confront her or ask questions. Codsworth got away with it because it was his job and he was around her day in and day out. And, if she was being honest with herself, which she avoided, he was the reason she made it through each day. The push to get out of bed, eat something, take a shower, and hold her child. To hold Shaun, who had his father's eyes and could make her smile and cry all at once, was the hardest thing she did some days.

She made her way over to the dresser and avoided looking at the dusty frame on top. In front lay equally dusty military tags and a man's golden ring, all on a simple chain. Ripping off the overly large man's shirt and tossing it in the laundry bin, Nora dug out a simple blue dress that could slipped over her head with no fuss and turned to leave the bedroom, but her eyes hung on to the bed, specifically the side she did not touch. It looked untouched, the blankets barely wrinkled and the pillow smooth. That pillow had not been used in just under a year, it was empty and cold, like the bed. Nora shook her head and quickly exited in favor of the bathroom and cold water.

The moment she gazed at herself in the mirror under the harsh white light, Nora wondered why she did so. She was pale and her face had thinned to the point of gaunt. Once bright blue eyes dimmed and heavy with pain. There was no doubting she looked awful, and considering she would most likely have to interact with more than just Codsworth today, Nora set about covering up the emptiness she felt. With quick and movements, hard edges were smoothed out and dark circles lightened to something more natural. She paused before working around her left eye, considering the bright patch of skin whiter than the rest of her tone. Nate had loved it, had even told her it looked like a star in one of his moments of being sappy, but now it just reminded her of all the cruel words she had received about it growing up. Nora had never seen it as beautiful until he did.

Angrily she finished going over the rest with the heavy make-up she used. There was no point in thinking of all that in her mind. All it would go to was more thoughts that also were not necessary. Another ten minutes and some carefully and subtly applied eyeliner later, Nora Isham stood back from the sink and once again regarded her reflection. It would do for now she conceded.

Codsworth was just placing her coffee onto the Kitchen Island when she entered the main room. The Television was on, displaying a male newscaster droning on about something involving the Chinese and death and things she no longer cared to listen to. Knowing Codsworth preferred it on to keep abreast of local and global events she strode to the door leading to the driveway, snatching her coffee on the way by, and chose to enjoy it in silence outside and away. There was a risk of a neighbor seeing her, but she felt she could safely make it without notice as long as kept to herself and made it to the table and chair out back.

Upon exciting the house, making sure the door closed softly behind her, Nora made note of the large blue van a few houses down the street. _Vault-tec,_ she mused internally, _still trying to save everyone from blowing up, but only if they can pay for it._ Her face twisted at in a sneer and made a note to not answer her door for a few hours.

Plodding barefoot across pavement and then through grass, she settled into the slightly rusted blue chair and reached under it to the small medkit. Codsworth had taken to hiding her cigarettes, no matter how little she smoked. In turn she had taken to hiding them before he could. It probably wouldn't work much longer as the lawn needed mowing, but she would take advantage of it while she could. With a flip of the silver lighter and a quick puff, Nora allowed the small cloud to envelope her face and leaned back in the chair. These were the times she didn't feel irritated or lost, but could just drift. This time her mind drifted back to the empty spot in the bed and Nate

XXXXX

 **Nate sighed inwardly as the taxi pulled up to the police department. Why he had agreed to pick up his idiot fellow officer and friend after the previous night's drunken debacle he was still unsure of. Then again, if he didn't then no one would most likely and the man would end spending much longer in a cell than necessary, causing him to miss shipping out which would then lead to no end of issues. This was the easier solution even if it cost Nate a pretty penny that he was doubting would be paid back.**

 **Stepping out into the rainy day, he cursed the fact he had left his umbrella behind and tugged his long overcoat tighter, hoping to keep his uniform as dry as possible. A quick conversation with the cabbie proved futile in getting him to wait until he came back, and Nate strode up the steps after handing over the owed fare. A step through the doors allowed him passage out of the pouring rain and into a dimly entryway containing a few battered chairs and an even more battered desk manned by a tired officer.**

" **Excuse me, an idiot friend of mine became a resident of your facilities last night and I am here to retrieve him."**

 **The man at the desk eyed his pristine uniform and resisted the urge to straighten his own and instead drawled out in a surprisingly southern accent "Yer gonna have ta be more specific than that, we have a few rowdy gents penned up currently."**

 **Nate allowed a small smile to grace his face at the man's candor "William B. Driscoll, looks intelligent until he opens his mouth."**

" **Ah yes, the man of many words but says little. I hear he mentioned something about someone coming to get him. I take it yer the someone?"**

" **You are correct sir. What must be done for his release?"**

 **The man shuffled and peared at some papers on his desk "Looks to be paying some damages and his bar tab and securing his belongings along with promising to never enter the Shamrock again."**

" **That will not be an issue. I will be paying the fees and will have William write a letter if necessary, though we are shipping out tomorrow and will likely not be back for a year or longer."**

 **The man, Officer Carson, Nate noted, ran a hand through his thinning blond hair and nodded. "A letter wouldn't hurt considering the situation, especially if it's including that he will be leaving town." The tone of Carson's voice caused Nate to pause before responding**

" **Do I want to know all he did?"**

 **Carson pondered for a moment "I can give you a brief rundown of the events, but your friend seems like one who will be tellin' you the whole of it himself."**

 **Nate's mouth tightened at the prospect "That he will. Well, I supposed we should get this over with. Where do we start?"**

 **Carson gestured to someone behind him "Ms. Falkenrath, good timing. Would you please take this man to one of the interview rooms so he can organize his friend's release and payment of fees in peace?"**

" **Of course," The voice from behind Nate was cool, firm, and polite and the melodic thing he had ever heard. Turning to view the owner of such a sound, he was stunned to find a very young woman in a knee length black pencil skirt and a stiff white blouse covered by a simple black jacket. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight and tidy bun on the back of her head and she had the bluest eyes Nate had ever seen. His mouth went dry and it felt as though his tongue had become a lead weight in his mouth though his face retained its characteristic straight, almost stern expression.**

XXXXX

Nora allowed a small smile to grace her lips. He had been such an ass she had thought he disapproved of a woman, especially one as young as she had been. It was only later and mostly thanks to Will that she and discovered Nate was so tongue tied and awkward that he had forgotten what manners were. Will, idiot that he was, was adept and weaseling his way out of hairy situations and getting his best friend into them. In some way he had managed to talk Nora into agreeing to go out with Nate in apology for his rudeness. Apparently he had seen some type of potential and decided to be a match maker.

Reminiscing about Will had brought a more recent memory to the forefront. He was currently on his way to her little house in Sanctuary Hills to meet Shaun for the first time. Within in a week of pregnancy discovery and engagement, Nate and Nora had named William not only the best man at the wedding, but also god-father and honorary uncle. This was the first time in the four months since Shaun's birth he had been able to make it up to see her. If she recalled correctly, he was also bringing his most recent lady friend, as described by Will himself.

The USA may be in a Nuclear War and the idea of the world blowing up was in everyone's minds, but it was also the year 2077 and in the last few months many troops were being sent home, allowing William some free-time from training new recruits. She checked the large watch on her wrist, 9:20. _He'll be here in a couple hours, which means I need to go in a get everything ready that Codsworth can't do._

She shook the last of the ash from the end of her smoke and stubbed it out on the chair's arm. Flicking the butt into the bushes, normally Nora didn't approve of such littering but she didn't want the evidence easily found, she made it back inside with no interactions and noting the Vault-tec Van was no longer in view.

Within two minutes of being back indoors, Shaun started fussing from the back. She had been about to sit at the pile of papers at the table, but before she could even take a step towards the hall, Codsworth beat her to it.

"Oh! Sounds like someone has a stinky! I'll get it mum, don't you worry," and off he floated, tucking in his lower appendages to get down the hallway.

Nora shook her head at his antics. She knew he was all programming and code and such, but his attitude was really the only thing that kept life in the house progressing. She supposed she should be thankful, but for the most part he served as another reminder of what was missing. Once again Nora made to sit at the table and finish going through piles of papers from her job. Just as she picked up the pen, a knock sounded at the door. Her eyes narrowed in thought as she stood, _Will said he would be here between nine and ten, but we both know that really means almost noon, so this would be early for him._ It didn't hit her who it would actually be until she was already opening up to the door to the man from Vault-tec.

"Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!" Nora managed to not wrinkle her face at his obviously rehearsed greeting.

"Morning, what can I do for you?" the words were kinds, but the tone was decidedly guarded.

Ignoring the inference behind the words, the man in yellow hat and trench coat and plastered on smile surged forward in his endeavor "You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you."

Nora pasted on her own false smile, not sure if she wanted the man to notice or not, and managed to stick to the niceties "Well then, I'm glad I opened the door."

He nodded in excitement, oblivious to anything else and stumbling over his words "Now, I know you're busy, so I won't take up much of your time. Time being a, um, precious  
commodity…" he trailed off for a minute, realizing he had gone off the beaten path in his lines, but managed to pick up the pieces to continue "I'm here today to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault. Vault 111."

 _My family's service to our country? What is he...oh. Nate._ Nora's expression darkened and her full lips thinned to the point they almost disappeared. "My husband was the one who served, and he never returned from Alaska. For this I and my son have been pre-approved to live in a Vault should the US and China decide to blow each other up? Do I have that correct?"

The man at her door looked decidedly uncomfortable and apologetic "I…uh…yes m'am. I'm very sorry. I just need to verify some information and go over a couple things to make sure all is in order if you would like to take advantage of this option."

Nora gazed at him sternly, making him shift awkwardly on his feet, and almost regretted her phrasing. Finally she sighed, "All right, let's get this over with so you can get on to the next house."

His eyes lit up so much with the prospect that he would actually be able to do his job, Nora almost felt sorry for dodging him for so long; almost. He ran her through a standard series of questions, overall health, number of family members, and ending with the fact Codsworth would not be able to join. "Wonderful! That's... everything... Just gonna walk this over to the Vault! Congratulations on being prepared for the future!"

She huffed out a breath and felt even more tired than before. Closing the door, Nora turned to find Codsworth waiting to speak with her. Shaun was still fussing down the hall.

"I apologize mum, I've cleaned his nappy and made sure he is comfortable, but it doesn't seem to be working. I think he needs some of that maternal instinct as you humans call it."

Both she and Codsworth knew she hadn't been very good at the maternal instinct part of motherhood so far. Additionally Codsworth was aware she knew he was making her get better at it. He was forcing her into human interaction as it was all he could think of to do. It may have been programming, but Codsworth did appreciate this little family. Nora was a good person and treated him with respect instead of just like a machine. Before and shortly after her husband's passing had come to bond with the bot to the point that deep discussions on law, justice, and more would often be had between the two.

Initially Nora barely utilized the Mr. Handy bot, wanting to do everything on her own, rarely asking for or accepting help when it was offered. The idea of not just another person, but a robot with a claw, saw, and such in her home around her baby made her uneasy to say the least. The only reason Nora agreed to the Mr. Handy was because Nate hadn't asked her. He had purchased the bot before leaving for Alaska and arranged it to be delivered and set up after he had left.

After the shock of Nate's passing wore off though, Nora had completely retreated into herself and Codsworth was not only at a loss of what to do, but was finding he was missing his friend. It was because of all these reasons he had resolved to force Nora into living a little at a time. Codsworth had seen the man from Vault-tec approaching the door when Shaun sounded from the back. Knowing Nora had been avoiding the man he rushed to attend to the baby, forcing her to have to answer the door and speak to someone outside the house.

Nora tried to give Codsworth an annoyed look, but failed, and instead nodded and made her past him to her son's room. Halfway down the hall, she paused and called back to him "Codsworth? Thank you."

If the robot could have smiled, he would have. Instead he gave a slight bob with careful control of propulsion and quietly responded "Always m'am."

As Nora entered the door to the nursery, she was, as always, astounded by the site of the little boy in the crib. He had pulled himself up into a sitting position and, upon seeing her, let out a happy gurgle and reached chubby hands out to her. It was only a few steps from doorway to crib side, but it seemed the longest distance in the world to her. Just a moment passed had managed to make it to the crib and slowly life the tiny form to her, holding him gingerly. Shaun didn't seem to notice how unsure his mother was. He giggled and placed his little fingers on her face, incidentally squishing her cheeks together and almost poking her in the eye in the process.

She chuckled at him quietly, surprising herself with the warmth in her chest from her little boy. Over his head she caught site of the rocket mobile above the crib. It had broken a while ago, but it looked as though Codsworth had finally been able to fix it. With a cautious touch, Nora made the rockets spin slowly around causing the gentle lullaby to play forth. Shaun cooed at it happily and Nora couldn't help but rest her head against his and allow a full smile to touch not just her lips but her eyes as well.

"Mum! You better come and see this!" the obvious sound of distress from the robotic voice had her rushing back to the living room, Shaun held closely to her chest.

There on the TV in front of which Codsworth was floating was the normal news man, but he looked different. His hair was out of order as though he had been running his hands through it repeatedly and his face shown with sweat. As he spoke, his hands shook while shuffling the papers before him. His voice shook too, stuttering over words and his eyes couldn't seem to focus. The worst part was the small corner image displaying a mushroom cloud.

Nora couldn't focus on the words the news reporter was saying clutched Shaun to her all the tighter. The man on the TV was in mid-sentence when the screen went dark. Codsworth swiveled and sped over to her, but Nora was still routed to the spot, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in abject shock. Fear had not had a chance to seep in yet. The robot didn't fully understand human emotion, but he knew he didn't want to allow the fear to hit her. She needed to get to the Vault.

He called to her, but she still didn't move. There was no other way around it he supposed, and disobeyed his programming. Carefully hooking his claw appendage to the end of her black braid laying over her shoulder, he gave it a yank "Mum, please! You need to get going!"

Realization swam back into her eyes and she sucked in air as though she had stopped breathing. Codsworth saw the fear start to cloud it but herded her towards the door, not allowing her to think just yet. "Please mum! You have Shaun, now get to the Vault before it closes!"

 _The Vault? Yes, the Vault, I have to keep Shaun safe. He's all that matters._ "Okay Codsworth," her voice was choked but audible. Groping her for the door behind her, she yanked it open and turned to leave, giving Codsworth a pained look. "I hope to see you soon."

He bobbed again "Yes, mum, I'll be here. Now go!"

The run to the Vault was a blur to Nora. She saw her neighbors around her, but couldn't register their faces. Some were standing in the middle of the street just staring at the sky, others were screaming and rushing down the road with her, and some were trying to load up belongings into cars, most likely thinking they could outrun the nuclear devastation about to be dropped on them.

She took a right at the house next to her's, following the directions of soldiers gesturing down the dirt path and across the little stream below. Up the hill on the other side and she was halted by the gathering crowd outside the gates to the Vault compound.  
The soldiers stationed there in Power Armor were stopping people from entering,  
one man holding a clipboard full of papers and checking names to the identities of those in front of him. It was then Nora remembered each Vault only had limited capacity, not everyone had a place in one of them. This one particular was very small and each person was preselected from unknown criteria. Nora resettled Shaun against her and dove through the crowd, shoving past bodies until she was able to confront the man with the list.

"No entry unless you're cleared!"

"We're...on the...list! Last name...Isham!" she managed to gasp out between heaving breaths.

Quick eyes skimmed over the list and he nodded. "Woman and child, you're good to go. Follow the soldiers up the hill!" with those words he stepped slightly out of the way and allowed them entry.

"You can't do this! I'm Vault-tec and I should have a place in that Vault!" Nora turned as she ran to view the owner of the voice. It was the Vault-tec rep from earlier, the one who  
had asked her all those questions. She didn't hear anything after that, but saw him try to charge the line until the men in Power Armor surged forward so he could instead look down the barrels of their guns. The look of anger abruptly fled his face and was replaced by more fear. He caught Nora's eye at that moment and in them she saw that fear, terror really, and hatred. Nora knew that hatred was directed at her while she ran on and left him on the other side of the fence.

The soldier leading them up the hill shouted at her to keep up and she tore her eyes from what was behind her to run up and around the hill. There at the top, in midst the chaos stepped from fear and desperation, Nora was directed to an immense platform in the shape of a gear, the entrance to Vault 111. They were practically shoved  
onto it and within seconds it began to lower, adding the sounds of heavy machinery to the rest of the surrounding noise. Nora stumbled with the sudden motion, but kept her feet and managed to resettle her stance to sooth Shaun. Her son who was screaming from noise and running and the fear of those around him.

Nora was terrified, but still managed to speak calmly in her son's ear. Slowly quieting him as the walls rose around them both. Suddenly her skin prickled and Nora followed the gazes of those around her to look up at the sky. It was in that moment the world exploded. The sound was deafening and combined with a blinding light that left all around in complete silence. Then the door closed, everything went dark, and the platform continued to descend.


	2. Dust and Ghosts

Chapter 1 – Dust and Ghosts

It was cold, so cold when Nora gasped herself awake. Sucking in the air in a sudden chest heaving motion, she couldn't remember why she was cold and all that could reasonably be focused on was remembering how to breathe. Her hands were braced on a metal door in front of her, the small window on it frosted over. Slowly it trickled back, the little bits of memory. The reporter on the TV, running to the Vault, and descending into darkness while the world above them came to end.

"Oh god!" it was just a whisper "What are we going to do? Where's Shaun?" her gaze darted around her frantically, each breath coming faster than the last when she saw the small enclosed space she was in. _I can't remember, why am in this thing?_ In frustration she hit her fist against the wall to her side, the pain jarring lose more memories.

The platform landing at the bottom and the large metal gate in front of it being raised. She walked her mind through being ushered out and up a short bit of stairs. The men and women in the blue Vault jumpsuits and lab coats speaking calmly, but they had looked evasive and almost impatient to get the process of with, each response or query short and clipped. They had all been given a jumpsuit of their own and made to change in a big room around everyone. She hadn't wanted to put Shaun down, to even consider letting him go, but the Vault-Tec representatives were insistent she change into the form fitting jumpsuit. After about five minutes of reassurance and soft words, one of the female assistants managed to talk Nora into letting her hold should for the length of time it took to wiggle into the suit.

Immediately after changing, the whole group, Nora's neighbors and once hopeful friends, were lead down the hall, passing a room of pods and machinery, until they were taken to a different room of pods. They had been told the pods were for decontamination and depressurizing before they go deeper into the Vault. A pod for each person and one specially rigged with a small car seat type insert for Shaun for the process. The same woman from before helped her secure Shaun in his little seat, carefully guiding her along the straps and showing her how it was a compartment normally hidden behind the padding an adult would rest on. She was all quiet voice, patient hands, and smiling brown eyes and managed to easily steer Nora to her own pod and get her settled without objection.

As the door lowered, Nora caught one last sight of her little boy, cooing and giggling at the blue teddy bear he had clung onto all the way from the house. It was then a female computer voice intoned the starting of a process. As it counted backwards the pod filled with air growing colder in each passing moment and Nora started into unconsciousness. She barely registered falling asleep aside from thinking it must be part of the process. Having no reason to doubt the processes, Nora placed her trust in Vault-tec and fully faded off with the image of Shaun and that blue teddy held close..

That was the last thing she remembered initially. Allowing the cold to overtake her and drift off. Nora wasn't a scientist so she just assumed it was part of the process. Now she was awake though, and still in the pod. There was no friendly Vault-tec representative coming to help her out or even outside of the pod that she could see. She was alone, everything seemed faded, and she didn't know why.

The questions and attempts to bring forth logic from fear whirled around in her head and the rest came rushing back. She recalled the voices making sure they were locating the correct pod, the hiss of Shaun's pod opening and the confused cries that followed. All that lead up to the crack of the gunshot which echoed in her mind in the seconds before her own pod opened.

One step forward and she discovered her legs were like jelly. She crumpled to floor trying to remember how to breathe. After a couple minutes Nora realized the air from her lungs was coming out in white clouds, reminding her how cold it was in the room. Staggering up and over to Shaun's pod, she prayed it was all a dream. It wasn't though. She could see through the glass that the pod was empty.

Pulling open the door only confirmed all her fears and cemented in to her mind what she thought was a dream. She made no sound, could not make a sound due to her anguish even though she could feel the tears running down her face. Her hand trembled as she reach out and grasped the abandoned bear, holding it close and she had done with Shaun.

Though she saw the other pods, she barely registered them until she noticed the people within weren't in stasis anymore, but instead dead, long dead. She knew this meant many years had passed since the doors of the Vault shut, but it took a few minutes to really hit her. _How long have I been down here?_ She thought looking around slowly and seeing the terminal in the corner, dashed to it. Thankfully it wasn't locked and she was able to see the status of all the pod occupants. Dead and suffocated due to a system malfunction that apparently none of the staff could fix.

 _The staff, where are the staff?_ It was a quick thought as she gazed closer at the room. Everything was covered in dust, which only confirmed no one had been here for years. There wasn't even any sign of people who took her child having been through here. They took her baby and left her frozen and now who knows how many years had passed with her son not knowing his mother. She gripped the bear tighter in her hand, nails biting into her palm. The little bit of pain brought it all in full force in a wave of fury. She was going to find her son, find Shaun, if it is was the last thing she did.

With a determined stride, Nora left the room to make her way out of the Vault and to the surface. This is when she heard the scuttling of something near her. Around the corner of one the many machines came much too large… _cockroach?_ She speculated. The thought flew from her mind when the thing hissed and launched itself at her. Nora was never one to swear much, but this was a good time for it.

"Holy hell!" and Nora dived to the side to avoid being hit. She crashed to the ground, jarring her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a skeleton in what looked like a security outfit. Next to the hand lay a baton. Scrabbling to grab it, Nora turned with it in hand just in time to see the whatever it was about to jump her again. She was barely ready for it, but that was enough. As it came at her, Nora swatted it like it was a baseball with a sickening crunch that turned into a squishing sound. _Thank you dad for all the times you made me play baseball with you and taking me to the games._ Nora reflected as the thing on the ground twitched in a semblance of life. For good measure she brought the baton down again, making sure it was dead. That was when she heard that same scuttling nose, and looked behind her. There were more in the room. Nora readied herself and moved forward with grim determination.

One after another, the bugs went down. There was no skill or finesse in Nora's movements, just anger and confusion and a need to get out. Get out of this place and above ground once again. After taking down a number of bugs and navigating through hallways and rooms she found herself in a reception looking area. A large desk with a working terminal, lockers and other doors lead off of it. Nora slowly entered the room, having learned the little creatures were good at coming out of anywhere. After clearing the room and the adjacent ones she could access, she approached the terminal and the skeleton sitting at it.

On the desk, just to the left of the terminal was a gun and box of ammo. Knowing she would most likely need this, but with little knowledge of how, Nora's hand hesitated of the gun. With a look of conviction, she grabbed it and ammo, shoving them in the pocket of the jacket she and grabbed from one of the bunk rooms.

A few things along the way had been collected that might be necessary, including a side bag to carry it all in. Some tools from a box outside of the pod room, chems from various chests near the bunks, and some really old food from the mess hall and kitchen area. The Vault Suit she was given in entering was comfortable if a bit too form fitting compared to what she was used to, but it had no pockets. Nora did not approve of outfits without pockets. Fondly she remembered the recreational terminal she had found containing the Red Menace game. Nora had only played a level, just to access a happy memory and give her some normalcy. Afterwards she took the game tape with her and moved on.

Accessing the terminal was easy thankfully, with a password in the skeleton's pocket. She carefully read through the notes, trying to find any indication of the time passed or what had happened inside the Vault itself. With a grim face she read through the overseer's instructions. How the "residents" were little more than lab rats for experiments they had no knowledge of and did not consent to. This fell in line with how they were told the pods were for decontamination and nothing more. After reading the logs detailing the Overseer's perception of the workers and the status of the facility, Nora knew the world above was much changed before seeing it since stated they had lost contact with Vault-tec along with anyone above ground.

She used the terminal to unlock the door across from her and proceeded to the main Vault Entrance. It was also covered in dust, but over it her own memory lay. She saw it new and shining and filled with scared people while the word above came to an end. Lost in memory, another skittering sound brought her back to eye the console before the path to the exit, and the bug hovering over the skeleton beneath it. It had seen her and was starting to advance.

Not being entirely comfortable with the gun, Nora had kept the baton out. Again using it beat the creature into a squishy mess. It was disgusting and Nora had almost hurled the first few times she had killed one, but that was in the past now, just like everything else. _I need to get out of here._ She reminded herself, proceeding to the console to see if it worked. She tried but a computerized voice told her she needed a Pip-Boy. Nora thought, those were those portable computer things that were starting to get popular. Gazing around, her eyes caught site of the skeleton at her feet and the arm separated from it. Around the wrist was a Pip-Boy. She gingerly picked it up and shook the arm out, the hinges opening to allow a new occupant. With a deep breath, Nora clamped it around her left wrist and secured the lock. She felt it dig in to her skin, and then below her skin, forming several connections over her wrist.

She hissed in pain and was about to yank it off when the screen lite up. In the boot sequence it detailed on checking vitals and location. She remembered then. The more high tech ones had sensors that would tap into the body's nervous system to monitor the wearer. Nora considered taking it off, but abstained, knowing it would be needed to get out of the Vault and it would most likely come in handy later, especially since it seemed to have a map. With a sigh, she turned back to the console to see how it worked. There was a port on the left of it, and looking at her Pip-Boy again she saw bit on the side that seemed to look like it would fit. Disconnecting it and extending the cord it was on, she plugged it in and pushed the large red button. It was satisfying to push that button. _Everyone wants a chance to hit a big red button at some point,_ she thought, and gave a ghost of a smile. The alarm was going off and the door was opening, it was time to go.

Looking around one last time Nora left the Vault to approach the lift. It descended silently in front of her, the gates opening on their own. As the lift started to rise, Nora looked back at the open Vault door and whispered a promise "I'll get him back Nate," and she looked up.

XXXXX

As the lift was going up, Nora recalled when it was going down last she was on it. It has been a beautiful day. It may have been October, but it was still warm. The sun was out, the sky was blue, her and Nate were thinking of taking Shaun to the park.

After giving birth, Nora had taken a long time to recover. Her body was not able to handle her first pregnancy very well and she and the doctors knew it. Her mental state hadn't been much better. The post-partum depression had hit hard for the first month she had secluded herself from Nate and everyone else. She had started smoking, something she hadn't done since her first year of college, and could barely look at Shaun. With much support and quite a bit of therapy, Nora was coming back out of her shell and the doctors and informed her with a good medical plan and the right steps, she might even be able to have another child someday.

Nora was never sure if she had wanted more than one child. She and Nate had never discussed it since the first pregnancy had been so hard. By the time October rolled around, she and Nate had started reconnecting. With little steps she remembered why she loved him, had married him, and how Shaun became part of their life. Nora made a face has she mused, _Not necessarily in that order though._ The fact that Shaun was conceived before the marriage had not bothered her much, but her parents were sure disappointed. In the end it had not mattered. For the same night she told Nate she was pregnant, he had been planning to ask her to marry him then and there. Her mind raced back to then, and smiled.

XXXXX

 **Her hands twisted in her lap as Nate walked in the door to the little dinner in Concord. She loved this place. It was where they had first met and had made their place since. The floor shown in the lights, and the counter gleamed. The reason she had first started going there so often was due to the really good milkshakes they offered. Nora shook the thought away and smiled up at Nate as he leaned in to kiss her cheek and sat down across from her.**

" **I'm so glad you were able to get away from the office honey so we could have this time together before I leave town," he sighed and gave her such a soft happy smile.**

 **That's right; Nate will be leaving tomorrow for a training camp in Alaska she recalled. He'll be gone for months. This made her more nervous and she almost decided to not tell him.** _ **No, I have to tell him. He should know**_ **. She reached out and grabbed his hand, stopping his sentence on the training area and checklist of making sure he had everything ready.**

" **Nate, I have something really important to tell you," she spoke softly and Nate frowned as he could see her agitation, her hesitation, in her actions. He leaned in and gave her his full attention.**

" **What is it Nora? Why are you so worried?"**

 **She gave a small smile.** _ **Of course he can tell.**_ **She mused to herself and took a deep breath and let it out in a quick sentence, "I'm pregnant."**

 **For thirty seconds there was silence between them as those two words registered in Nate's head. Normally Nate was quick with information intake and very rarely did anything floor him. This was one of the times something did though. He blinked a couple times, sucked in some air, and grinned like a fool.**

" **Really!? Are you sure?" it came out fast but Nora could see he was ecstatic.**

 **She grinned back. "I would hope so. I took three tests."**

 **Nate reached over and held her face in his big hands. "Nora, that is best thing I have ever heard!" The last words came out with a laugh of pure joy and Nora couldn't help but giggle along. This was better than she hoped and way beyond her worst fears.**

 **Nate stood suddenly and started fishing around in his jacket pocket. "I guess it is a good thing I was planning to do this," he stated, bringing his hand out and stepping to be in front of her. When bent to one knee in front of her, Nora gasped. "Elenora Trinity Falkenrath, will you marry me?"**

 **Another thirty seconds and Nora finally let her breath go, grabbed Nate's face for a long hard kiss. "Yes Nathan Isham, yes I will marry you!" and threw her arms around his neck.**

 **Nate stood, holding her with him effortlessly and spun her in a circle laughing like the happiest man in the world. He was, Nora thought, because she was the happiest woman in the world.**

XXXXX

Nora couldn't help but smile at the memory. Though Nate had to leave soon after to assist with the training of new recruits, and then proceed up to Alaska, she had still been so happy. She knew he would be back in time for her to give birth and help her prepare. Within one month of the pregnancy and engagement announcements, Nate and Nora held a small wedding, only with close friends and family, and were able to move into their new house.

The house had been a gift from Nora's parents. Though they had never fully approved of Nate, him being near ten years older than her and fully immersed in military life, and it didn't help she was pregnant before the marriage, they loved their daughter and wanted the best for her, and their grandchild. If that meant she was happy with Nate, then they would do what they could to make sure she struggled as little as possible.

Nate had been shocked by the house. He knew how her parents felt and personally thought it was too much of a gift. In turn, Nora's father had sat him down and told him to take it without argument. They had paid the down payment and everything was in Nate and Nora's name, all the new couple had to do was take care of the upkeep and make the monthly payments to fully pay the house off. After the lecture, Nate shut up and did as he was told, which, in Nora's experience, was a rare occurrence. From there they moved in, decorated the nursery, and made it not just a house, but a home.

Since Nate left soon after the wedding and the move, he had purchased Mr. Handy bot to assist with chores and such. With a British accent, perfect manners, and just a hint of sarcasm, Codsworth had entered their lives and became part of the family. He made it so Nora didn't have to run around as much and became a companion and soon friend to her. After losing Nate, her relationship with Codsworth and everyone around around her drastically changed, in the least postive way.

Nora shook her head. The choices she had made were not okay, but she she was not sure if she had been capable of doing so differently. She held ideas that should could have tried more, if not for her, then for her son. The door above started to open and Nora shielded her eyes from the blazing light coming in. As the platform came to a stop at the top, Nora thought she had descended into an even worse nightmare than the one in the Vault below her.


	3. Bright Lights and Devastation

Chapter 2 Bright Lights and Devastation

It was all gone. The trees looked as though they had died on the spot, but continued to stand. They were twisted black and brown. That scheme continued for the landscape as far as she could see. No color, just shades of black, brown, and grey. The air itself seemed yellow, and Nora coughed as tried to breathe it in. She felt dizzy, almost falling before she made it to a crate to the side to sit.

Her husband was dead, her son was missing, and the entire world before her was devastated. Nothing was left of it and Nora wondered what made her think she would be able to do anything to find her son. She was one woman with no survival skills, could only shoot a gun because her husband made her learn since he wanted her to be able to protect herself, and was a lawyer for goodness sake. Not even her chosen profession could help her here.

Pulling the gun from her bag, Nora contemplated stopping here before something else ended what little life she had left. Then she saw the ring on her finger and remembered her promise. _That's right, I made a promise and by heaven and hell I will do my damned best to keep it!_ Ferociously she pushed herself up and moved passed the old crates and shipping containers to take the path back to Sanctuary.

The bridge over the stream was almost gone, the grass was dead, and there were skeletons everywhere. She thought of the piles of bones outside the gates. The people who were struggling to live and had died doing it. Even the guard had died. She had seen his bones still in uniform propped against chain link. It made her wonder how many others had made it.

Stumbling past the first house and really seeing the town was another blow. It was falling apart, already had as she noted the completely collapsed houses. Holes in the walls and roofs, no glass in the windows, and the faded paint further proved a lengthy passage of time had occurred.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a glint of metal. Turning quickly, expecting an attack of some kind Nora saw none other than a Mr. Handy trimming the dead bushes outside what was left of her house. It was just any Mr. Handy though, she knew without a doubt it was her Mr. Handy, Codsworth. She hurried to him, still too unsteady to run.

"Codsworth!?"

One of the three eye-stocks on top of his round body turned to regard her, and the other two quickly followed suit. His three lower appendages flailed excitedly, and the jet keeping him floating gave flare of happiness.

"Mum! As I live and breathe is it really you?" Codsworth cried in his robotic tinged British accent.

If Nora could have hugged him without getting burned, she would have. Instead she reached out and placed a hand on his carapace, as though gripping a friend's shoulder. "Yes Codsworth, I'm really here," the smile she gave was the first genuine one she had made since leaving the pod. "How did you make it through the bombs? How are you even still here?"

He scoffed, "Those bombs were no match for General Atomics finest! Where is young sir by the way?"

Nora held her breath. She didn't want to say it "He's gone. Some people came into the Vault and took him. Have you seen anyone?"

"I don't know what you mean, mum. Sounds like you need one of the hugs you humans find so comforting." Codsworth suggested, trying to move past the horrid news. "Maybe we should have a family activity? Checkers or charades perhaps? Young Shaun does so love that game!"

She stared at Codsworth, realizing how worn he looked. His casing was scratched and dirty, lacking the shine she was used to. _How long was I down there?_ She wondered, but persevered. "Codsworth, Shaun was taken. Have you see anyone come through here?"

Codsworth hummed to himself. "Seems this is worth than I thought. You must be suffering from hunger induced paranoia. That will happen when you are over 200 years late for dinner though! Shall I fix you something to eat?"

Nora couldn't even comprehend the words. _200 years? How? There is no way!_ She shouted internally. "What do you mean? It can't have been gone that long!"

"I'm afraid so, mum. A bit over 210 years to be more precise, give or take."

Then she remembered all the dust in the vault and the people strewn about with nothing left but bare bones. For it all to look like that, years upon years had to have passed. They had put her back to sleep after taking Shaun, she realized. How much time had passed since then?

"What will I do Codsworth? I need to find my baby, he was taken and Nate is gone,"

The robot puttered and said something about Ms. Rosa's boy running around.

She peered at him, realizing the long passage of time can't have been good for him, especially alone. "Codsworth, are you okay?"

He huffed and puttered for a moment and cried "Oh mum! It's been horrid! No one to talk to or serve! I tried to keep the place up as per usual, but it is impossible to get fallout out of linoleum! Don't get me started on the futility of dusting a collapsed house! And the car, mum, how does one polish rust!?"

He was so distraught she could barely get a word in for a minute. "Hey now," she interrupted "Stay with me Codsworth, I need you."

A robotic sigh came forth "Of course mum. I apologize. I'm sorry to say I haven't seen anyone in the area but you. I have gone through the neighborhood, but found little of note. I did make sure to secure sir's military tags and ring though," he removed both items, still in fair condition, from the small compartment in his carapace.

Nora's hands ran carefully over the punched letters and numbers on the tags and rubbed the dust from the ring. "Thank you Codsworth," she fought to keep the tears from her voice "These are more valuable than you might now."

Codsworth reached back to the compartment, hesitated, but seemed to come to some kind of decisions. "There...ah...there is one more thing mum. While searching the neighborhood I came across a package from the military for you. It seemed to contain some effects from sir including what seems to be his last communication to you. My protocols prohibited me from listening to the tape, so I do not know what is contains."

She raised a brow at him at that sentence. _Did that mean he was curious about the contents?_ When she saw the tape though, she hesitated before taking it. It was from Nate, recorded over 200 years ago for her. "Thank you. I'll…a…listen to it later."

His eye stalks gazed at her briefly before bobbing "Yes mum. Shall we search the neighborhood to see if there are any signs of young sir?"

Nora gazed at the destruction around her, not knowing how there could be anything useful, but she nodded her ascent. "Sure, let's do it."

XXXXX

The houses of Sanctuary were worse than she thought when she saw them up close. Broken and faded mere memories of what they were. To add to this, they were infested. Nora shuddered at the thought. She and Codsworth had gone house to house finding other types of mutated insects. These ones looked they might have once been mosquitoes and flies. Mosquitoes were bad enough without having the ability to stab her clean through the shoulder, and one almost did.

They had gone through each house though, finding no trace of anyone but the bugs. Codsworth was leading the way the whole time, using his buzz saw to slice through each horrid little beast. It was quite the site to see honestly. Nora only took action when one got near her, using her now favorite object, the baton, to bash them to bits.

Though there was no trace of her baby, she did locate some useful items. Namely a couple of Nuka Colas and a can of pork and beans were treasures at this point. Along with this was some more ammunition, though she was not sure if it was for her gun, and some other scraps which she dropped at the workshop in the carport of what used to be Ms. Rosa's house. Who knew, they might come in handy someday.

Nora stood in front of her house exhausted. She was afraid to go in and she knew it. Codsworth had already entered, insisting on cooking her something, thought she didn't know how. Her home looked no better than the rest. Peeled paint, holes everywhere, and pieces broken off all made Nora not want to enter it, but she did. She had to.

It was covered in dust and fallout. The couch was ripped, TV smashed, and other bits of furniture just completely destroyed. The kitchen, though having all its pieces, fared no better. Doors hung on hinges and the cupboards were all but bare. Both coffee table and dining table were in pieces. She got as far as the bathroom before she dared go no further. Turning around Nora went back to the Livingroom and sat on the couch since it was the most stable furniture and she did not feel like sitting on the floor.

Nora wasn't ready to see her bedroom yet, nor was she ready to see Shaun's room. It was too much in such a short time and all she wanted to do was close her eyes on not see anything for a while. Her reverie was broken by the sudden feeling of something warm near her face and the scent of… _food!_ Not once had she stopped to actually think of eating since waking up. There had not even been a chance to think about it.

Opening her eyes, Nora gazed at the plate of pork and beans before her, then up to Codsworth who was offering it to her. She knew it was the best that could be offered currently and he had done all with it he could. "Thank you Codsworth."

He huffed "I apologize for the quality, mum. I'm afraid there isn't much in the larder these days and any spices we once had have gone to dust."

She nodded, accepting the proffered plate and spoon and dug in. She ate mechanically, no registration of what she was eating, but just knowing she needed to eat. It was like ashes in her mouth, and has she ate, a tear slid down her face. It was soon followed by more and more until Codsworth retrieved the plate before it landed on the ground. The tears flowed full force by then, choking and sobbing in despair.

"Codsworth, it's all gone! Nate isn't coming back and Shaun is out there somewhere. I have to get him back, but I don't even know where to start! Everything I knew is destroyed and I have no idea how to even make it out here!"

"Oh mum," he rested his little claw hand on her shoulder. "I don't know about all that. For the time I have known you, you have always been a strong and determined woman. Adding to that with all you have told me of your cases, you are innovative as well. Though the probabilities are low, you will find him!"

Nora huffed air in and out, trying to tune into the robots words and align her thoughts with them. After a few minutes, she nodded but had no words to respond with, falling back into keeping up with expectations.

Codsworth hummed in approval, ignoring the relapse "Right-o! You should ask around for starters. There are some people in Concord you could inquire with. They only threw a few sticks at me before I departed."

"Concord?" Nora had barely even considered there would actually be a good number of people around anymore. _How could they even survive?_ She pondered, almost unbelieving of the possibility of it. Finally she nodded. "Okay, it would be a start. I'm not going to leave now though. It's getting late and I need sleep." _I'm so exhausted even with the 200 year nap I just had._ 200 years, she still couldn't quite grasp that fact. A bark of laughter escaped her lips. "Codsworth, I'm 236 years old."

"Nonsense mum. You are as young as you want to be. I think some sleep would be prudent now."

Her head shook in weariness "Yes, of course. I'm...I'm just going to sleep here for the night." With that, Nora stretched out on the old broken couch, and prayed she wouldn't dream.


	4. Memories Good and Bad

Chapter 3 – Memories; Good and Bad

 **She was so cold. That was her first thought, of how cold it was. Then she heard the voices. At first, Nora couldn't remember where she was.** _ **That's right, the Vault! I'm in the Vault because the sirens went off and they put me in this pod for decontamination. I must of fallen asleep.**_ **The voices were getting closer, talking about finding the "right one."** _ **The right one? What does that mean? Shouldn't all the residents be getting out?**_ **She saw them then through iced glass. A rough looking man in dirty clothes and some kinds of armor and another person in some kind of protective suit stood across from her in front of Shaun's pod.**

" **Here it is, this one here," said the one in the suit. They started manipulating the buttons just next to the pod until it hissed open.**

 **Shaun, being the cheerful baby he always was, sleepily gurgled at those near him, waving his tiny fists about. The one in the suit cooed and gently removed Shaun from the straps and buckles holding him in place. They moved slowly to make sure to cause little disturbance. It looked even slower to Nora. Why were they taking her baby? Why wasn't she being let out too? Where was the rest of the Vault staff?**

 **The man was trying to get the one in the suit to hurry. He looked ill at ease with the situation and the environment. When the person stopped listening to him, he drew a large hand gun from his side and fired it a foot away from the other's head. The person in the suit seemed to get the message and proceeded to hurry, now ignoring the baby's cries. Meanwhile, the armored and armed man just closed the pod and told the other one it was time to leave.**

 **Nora realized her hands hurt, and then saw why. She had been pounding on the door, screaming to get out and stop them. The man stopped over at her pod and said something before leaving. His back was the last thing she saw as a computerized voice informed her that the cryogenic stasis was being reinitialized.**

XXXXX

 _Cryogenics? Well that explains the passage of time. I have literally slept like a popsicle for 200 years._ Realizing it was early morning, Nora stretched up from the couch. She cracked her spine out of the stiffness of a bad night's sleep and looked around for Codsworth. He was not in the immediate vicinity. Puttering outside, she found him just bringing back items scavenged from the other houses in her bag.

"Ah mum!" he cried. "You're awake! I went around to a few of the houses and grabbed some things I thought you might need." He zoomed back into the house passed her and immediately started unloading it onto the counter. Appearing before her was an array of old food, a couple stimpacks and chems she didn't recognize, a box of 10mm ammo, some bobby pins, a few bottle caps, and happily a few more Nuka-colas.

Her face split into a grin at the sight of the now ancient soda. Not caring about the age or the fact it was warm Nora reached out, grabbed one, popped the top and took a long drink. It was sticky not as fizzy as it should have been, but it was wonderful all the same. Just a little bit of happy memory to settle her mind and distract from the now. It brought her back to sitting at Starlight with Nate so long ago. Thinking of two Nuka-cherries sitting forgotten while Nate and Nora were too wrapped up in each other to pay attention to the show just made her smile more. In really thinking about it, she was fairly certain that was the night Shaun was conceived.

The smile became a little sad when Shaun came to mind. Shaking her head she looked up at the robot waiting on her. "Thank you, Codsworth. This is great." Packing it back up, aside from the pins which she used to bundle up her long black hair into the best bun she could. Nora didn't know much about this new world, but she was fairly certain having her hair down would only cause problems.

Nora considered the gun she had brought from the Vault. Nate had taught her how to shoot long ago. His reasoning being she was a lawyer working with and around criminals and should know how to handle a gun in case the need arose. He had taken her to a shooting range, educated her on the different parts of a gun and everything. She had even been a fairly decent shot at the time, but it was so long ago and the gun just felt strange in her hand.

With a sigh Nora knew she would have to practice some. "Codsworth, could you help me set up some bottles and such to practice with this gun?"

"Capital idea mum!" His appendages rose in excitement and immediately flew back out to gather cans and bottles. They were speedily lined up on the old wall by the river for Nora to shoot back down.

Nora only took about 30 minutes to re-acquaint herself with firearm basics. She didn't want to waste too much ammo in doing so. After making sure she was comfortable with loading and unloading and could aim accurately enough to take down four out of six bottles from a fair distance, she packed the gun away and strode back to her house. Instead of going in, she dropped her bag on the front step and decided to take a slower more thorough walkthrough of the neighborhood.

Each house looked about the same as hers, with dust and old relics everywhere. Some were even fully collapsed with no way to search through the rubble, not that she wanted to. There wasn't much else to find besides scrap since Codsworth had already made the rounds through. Nora did make note of an old safe, but didn't even try to pick the lock knowing she would only break pins if she did. The only occasion she had ever had to pick a lock was when her little sister had locked herself in the bathroom during a tantrum. No one had been able to find a key and her father had not wanted to kick the door in. After about five tries and many bent and broken pins later, Nora had been able to get the door open for her sister to receive a very long grounding.

It was mid-afternoon by the time she finished walking the town and Nora finally noticed she was hungry, very hungry. This made sense since she had consumed nothing that day aside from the one Nuka Cola. She strolled back to the house and found Codsworth had prepared another can of pork and beans for her. He apologized profusely for the quality and lack of variety, but she only waived him off stating it was fine and dug in.

"I'm going to head to Concord tomorrow, see if I can find anyone. Will you come with me?"

"I would be delighted, mum! I don't like the thought of you going it alone with how the world is now."

Nora only nodded and finished eating. She decided to spend the remainder of the day making sure everything she needed was packed up well in her bag and the pockets of her jacket were filled as well. During this time she had Codsworth go back through the houses and gathered all the scrap to be dropped back off at the workbench in Ms. Rosa's old house. When it finally made it to evening, Nora curled back up on the couch and fell into a deep exhausted sleep.

XXXXX

The light of morning stabbed at Nora's eyes, signaling her house still had holes and it had not been a horrible nightmare. With a groan she rose from the couch, rubbed the strain from her back, and looked out the window. It was time.

"Codsworth, are you ready?" the robot was out front at the hedges again, though she didn't see why he kept trying to trim them when they weren't growing anyway.

"Of course, mum. I gather it is time to leave?"

Nora only nodded. Hefting her bag over her shoulder in a cross body fashion, she headed for the bridge. In first seeing the Old North Bridge, she didn't know if she was surprised it was still mostly standing, of sad of how broken it was. One could still make their way across as long as they stuck to the right side and away from the gaping hole on the left. It was a mess. Boards were cracked and splintered, or missing altogether and it looked as though a good rainstorm would cause it to fully collapse.

A sigh left her lips, expelling the memories of when she had first crossed this bridge to her new home. It wasn't worth thinking about right now, and Nora shook it out of her head. She needed to focus on the task at hand. With the baton grasped firmly in her right hand, Nora took the first step on the bridge and towards the search for her son.

She hadn't been walking for very long, maybe five or ten minutes, when the Red Rocket Truckstop came into view. It too looked old and faded, like everything else, but was still fully standing. It was covered in vines and had trash all around it, but it was in one piece. It was nice to see. She lost in herself in thoughts of the Truckstop until she heard a bark and the scrabbling of large paws coming towards her.

Bracing herself, she adjusted her stance towards the sound and saw…a large normal looking dog loping towards with silly doggy like exuberance. The mutt skidded to a stop in front of her, plopped his butt on the ground and grinned up at her, tongue lolling. A laugh of surprise escaped her lips. He was so normal looking in this no longer normal world it was ridiculous.

The dog barked at her again to get her attention and Nora snapped back to the task at hand. Kneeling to get closer to eye level she held her hand out for a sniff. Without pausing the dog stuck his nose in her palm and licked it all over before insisting she scratch behind his ears. Following orders, she dug her fingers into the thick fur and made him a very happy dog.

"Hey boy, you out here all alone? Where is your owner?" he only barked again and put a paw on her knee. "I guess that answers that question. You want to come with us?" With a yip and bounce that Nora took as assent, she took to the road once again with a new friend.

Codsworth puttered behind for a moment before gliding to her side. "Are you sure about this, mum? He's hardly trained and could cause trouble. Additionally, what will you feed him?"

As someone who had attended University to be a lawyer, Nora thought before answering. "If he was going to attack, he would have done so already. As for trouble, with how long he has most likely survived out here, I'll be more likely to cause trouble than he will. Added to that, he will do fine on what I eat or foraging for himself, as I'm sure he has been doing to make to the large size he is." Codsworth didn't argue the point further. As a robot he was able to process beyond the average human enough to know it would be pointless.

Within another ten minutes Nora could easily see Concord ahead of her. Aside from a delay caused by more of the too large disgusting bugs, she was making decent time. She was slightly concerned on the lack of people though. There had been no sign there was even people around anymore. Not long after this crossed her mind, Nora heard gunshots ahead of her and she froze.

Some very large bugs, she could handle. Nora wasn't sure she was ready for confrontations with people. Slowly she drew her gun out and moved forward. She didn't want to keep going, in fact she wanted to run back to Sanctuary and stay there forever, but she had a made a promise and Concord was where she had to go to keep it. Nora knew she would go through anything to get her son back.

The closer she got, the clearer she could hear the shots and soon came the sound of yelling. Rounding a corner the Museum of Freedom came into view at the end of the block. On the street below were several figures running back and forth firing up at a man on the balcony. Due to the distant, she couldn't make out everything perfectly, but he appeared to be all alone in holding off those below.

Before she could choose to help and who to help, the dog launched himself down the road with a battle cry in the form of vicious barking and jumped closest figure to them. Since the person didn't see it coming, they went down quickly with a ripped open throat and blood all over the ground. Nora didn't even move it happened so fast. It wasn't until a bullet hit the car next to her that she fully realized what was going on.

They had seen her and were now firing at her and the dog and Codsworth. She ducked behind the car and tried to think, it wasn't something she was able to do easily considering the situation. Meanwhile her robot butler charged into battle, taking his saw to the first shooter he encountered. She was still being fired on though.

Squeezing her eyes shut, figuring she was about to die, Nora rose from behind the car and fired at the man, she could see now it was a man, advancing towards her. Her hands shook on the first two shots, but she bore down on her nerves and fired again. The next two bullets hit shoulder and chest, bringing her attacker to his knees, and then fully to the ground, from which he didn't rise again.

By the time she had killed that one man, Codsworth and the dog were ending the last ones in site. Her chest was heaving and her gut was in knots. It was at that moment Nora noticed her arm felt like it was on fire. In looking at it, she was surprised to see she had been shot. It was just a graze below her left shoulder, but it was the first time she had been shot. Nora had been experiencing many firsts in the last couple days. She was positive she didn't like any of them.

A call from above broke her reverie. "Hey! They've got us trapped inside! Grab that musket and give us hand!"

It wasn't a question, it was a hope shouted in the form of an order. Nora had heard such before when observing her husband in a military setting. She considered not entering the museum, this wasn't her affair and she needed to find her son. _Maybe they can help me. If I help them first, maybe they will help me._ Decision made, Nora grabbed the indicated musket, not easily as she was not used to its weight, and made her way to the door.

"Ah, mum? Are you sure about this? It could be rather dangerous." Codsworth sounded very hesitant to even question her from the second time.

"No, no I'm not sure about this, but it is the right thing to do and these people could know something about Shaun. So I'm going in," Nora sighed. "You don't have to Codsworth, you can stay out here."

The robot huffed in his robot way, "I wouldn't dare let you go it alone!"

From her side, the dog barked in agreement. "I guess we are going in then," with that, Nora yanked open the door and ducked inside the monument to freedom.

After an hour of navigating the broken building, and more bodies than Nora wanted to think about, she made it to the room the man from the balcony and whoever else was trapped in. To her surprise, she found that man and only four others. It was him, a dark skinned man in an old fashioned militia coat and hat, another man in overalls with slicked up hair looking for the world like a greaser mechanic, and old woman sitting on a ratty couch, and another man and woman who stayed very close to each other. The man looked as though he had lost everything and the woman just looked angry.

"Wow, you actually made it through! I honestly wasn't sure you could. You have my thanks stranger," the man held forth his hand. "The name's Preston Garvey, member of the Commonwealth Minutemen."

"The Minutemen?" Nora gave an amused smile. "So I'm going back in time?"

"Helping the people in a minutes notice is the motto. Same now as it was then with so many in need," he gave a small smile in return, but turned serious quick. "Look, there are more of those guys are still out there. If you are up for it, we could use some more help so can get out of here alive and intact."

This made Nora pause. What more could they need her for? "I'm listening," was all she replied with along with a wary expression.

From here the man in the overalls stepped in and explained the plan. This plan outlined as utilizing the "cherry" power armor up top and ripping a gun off a crashed vertiberd to kill the rest of the "raiders." The raiders being the men and women in mishmashed armor attacking the group for reasons unknown to Nora. Apparently this also involved cracking a terminal to get a fusion core out of the basement. How the two men thought Nora was the one to do this, she had no idea.

"Is there reason why one of you can't do this?" she challenged at the end of the long plan.

The man in the overalls, Sturges she had come to learn, gave her a look, "Look, I'm all for fixin' up machines and shit, but computer code is not in my tool box."

Preston nodded. "Likewise. Along with that, I have to stay with these people."

Nora huffed out a breath, "Okay, let's get this done."

Quietly, the old woman on the couch spoke up, "Be careful out there, something dark is coming here. All the noise brought it up from the dark and it is very angry! So angry!"

"What do you mean?"

She only shook her head wearily. "That's all I saw kid, but with Dogmeat at your side, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Dogmeat? Who's…" then she looked at the dog beside her. _Dogmeat!? Really, that's his name? That is a horrible name for a dog!_ "Oh! Is he yours?"

Again, she shook her head. "No, no. He's what you would say his own man. Belongs to no one but chooses his friends well and wisely. He'll stick with you from now on."

"Okay then," was all Nora had to offer in return. "C'mon Codsworth." With that she turned back out of the room for the basement.

Before she knew it, Nora was on the roof in a set of very old power armor shooting a very, very large gun at the remaining raiders below. Preston was back on the balcony firing off with his laser rifle as well. As some were hiding behind cars and in the broken down shops, she had ended up going back to road by jumping down.

Nate had shown Nora power armor and had told her many stories of the things he had accomplished when wearing a suit. Thanks to this, she knew the jump would do her little to no damage. Only a few minutes after her jump, the ground rumbled and the intersection at the other end of the street exploded. From the crumbling hole rose what Nora could only later think of as hell itself. It was big, black with horns, and ugly.

"What the fuck is that!?"

From above she heard Preston's shout of "Deathclaw!" and his voice contained abject terror.

 _This is bad, this is very bad, this is sooooo bad_. Was all Nora could think while spewing expletives and holding down the trigger of the minigun as hard as she could. The thing hardly seemed to notice and it was charging her down. Turning and backing away as quickly as she could in the awkward armor, Nora had almost made it to a corner shop when the thing caught up to her, raised a large, clawed hand and knocked her like a ragdoll into the store.

Power armor was tough and gave a high amount of protection from bullets and such, but she felt that hit all over her body. Thankfully the gun had landed in front of her and the thing, _Deathclaw_ , could not fit in the store. On top of this, Codsworth and Dogmeat were distracting it with quick in and out attacks. Knowing she couldn't stay on the floor, Nora hauled herself up and grabbed the gun. Settling it back in grasp, she yelled for them to get out of the way and held down the trigger for all she was worth. Before she knew it, the drum was empty and the creature was still standing, but barely.

"Well shit," was all Nora could gasp out. Drawing her little 10mm, she fired until the thing roared a final breath and collapsed to the ground.

Not fully trusting that it was dead, she approached warily, and gave it a kick with her armored foot. It didn't move and Nora finally let her breath out. Skirting around it to get to the open street, she ejected from the power armor and fell to the ground, trying to remember how to fully breathe again. It was this time Preston ran out of the museum and to her side.

"That was amazing!" he praised with a huge grin, pulling her up from the street and supporting her back to the museum entrance. "I'm glad you're on our side. I wasn't completely sure of what you could handle, being a Vault Dweller and all, but you handled yourself magnificently well out there!"

 _Vault Dweller? Oh yeah, I'm still wearing my Vault suit._ Nora didn't reply, she really couldn't with her main focus being on breathing still. She felt as though she had been beaten all over and didn't have the capacity for speech at that moment. When she thought about, she had been beaten all over.

Preston got them both inside the museum, Dogmeat bounding forth and Codsworth worriedly hovering at her side opposite Preston. After being situated on a chair in the remains of the lobby with the rest of the group, Preston and Sturges launched into making sure they could safely get everyone to a nearby town that Mama Murphy, the old woman, had told them about. Apparently this nearby town was Sanctuary and according to Marcy, the angry Asian woman, it wasn't that Mama Murphy had heard about it, but had seen it.

"Wait, what do you mean 'She saw it'?" Nora interrupted.

Mama Murphy looked at her dreamily "I have the sight. Depending on what I take I can see some of what was, what will be, and sometimes what is going on right now," her voice was as hazy sounding and tired as her vision looked.

Nora gazed at her in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know the science behind it, kid," she shrugged out. "Some have it, most don't. For me the chems help me see clearer."

"Chems? Like drugs?"

Mama Murphy nodded "Exactly. I know your searching for someone, kid. I have seen him."

"Shaun! You saw him somewhere!? When? Do you know where?"

She got a tired nod "Sorry kid, it don't work like that, but I can tell you a good place to start, The Great Green Jewel!"

Nora gave a confused look "The what?"

Preston stepped in "She's talking about Diamond City. It is the biggest settlement in the 'Wealth."

Mama Murphy nodded again and when she spoke, her voice sounded more distant "Diamond City holds answers, but they're locked tight. You ask them what they know, but people's hearts are chained up with fear and suspicion. But you find it. You find that heart that's gonna lead you to your boy. Oh, it's... it's bright. So bright against the dark alleys it walks. That's... that's what you need to do, kid. Follow the signs to the bright heart."

It made no sense to Nora, but it was something so she nodded. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"Sorry, I don't have more for you kid. Maybe you get me some jet and I'll be able to see something more."

"Jet?"

"Mama, we talked about this, no more chems!" Preston interjected before Nora could get an explanation.

This started a different argument between the two that Nora didn't bother to fully listen too. She really only heard Mama Murphy's defense of her being too for it matter anymore. It was her turn to interrupt, "You said you were going to Sanctuary? I know the way."

These words got Preston's attention, "Really! That's perfect! Are you good to head out now?" He was so excited it was like watching a bouncing child.

Nora couldn't refuse him, so she nodded and got back to her aching feet. With this, everyone gathered their few belongings and made the forty minute walk back to her old neighborhood. They encountered nothing on the way as she had already killed the bugs that had previously resided near the road. When leaving Concord, Nora had stopped at the first raider she had killed and looked at his face. He was young, barely nineteen or twenty she thought. That thought made her sick. _What drove him down this path to end like this?_ She had no answer, neither did the dead raider. With a tired shake of her head, she moved on.

It was reaching evening when they made it back. All Nora wanted to do was sleep, but Preston wanted to walk the town with her quick. She sighed and followed. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could close her eyes.

"The place is perfect! Most of the houses are in decent enough shape, they can easily be used for shelter with no issue," he exclaimed, mostly to himself.

Nora gazed around at the sight of the ruined town, "Yeah, it used to be perfect," she spoke in a whisper so quiet Preston barely heard her.

"What do you mean it used to be?"

She just shook her head in reply, not ready to talk about her past and unsure if Preston was a good person to tell it too. Preston didn't press further, for which she was grateful. They finished the walk and ended back at Ms. Rosa's old house, where everyone seemed to have gathered in and Sturges was looking over the workbench and scrap she had collected there.

"Thanks again for all your help today. We couldn't have done it without you," Preston offered his hand again.

At first Nora just looked down at it. Preston was a very kind and polite man in a world that seemed to have no call for it. It was refreshing if not odd, but she took the hand and shook it firmly.

"You're welcome. If you don't mind though, I'm exhausted and am going to sleep," she gestured at her old house behind her. "I'll be in that one."

He nodded, though looked in curiosity at the house. No doubt wondering why that one specifically, but he let her go. With that, Nora walked wearily to her home and fell on the broken dusty house. She immediately fell into a deep sleep and, thankfully, did not dream.


	5. Resolve isn't Enough

Chapter 4 – Resolve isn't Enough

It had rained all night and was still raining when Nora woke. She knew it had been raining all night by the number of buckets Codsworth had placed around the house to catch the rain. Each bucket was over half full. Upon fully realizing this fact, Nora contemplated drawing the ratty blanket over her head and ignoring this particular day. She almost did until there was a knock at the door, a door that was surprisingly intact and functional. Nora was very grateful for that fact.

Grumbling, Nora clambered from the couch, ran her hands through her hair, and yanked the door open. There, on her doorstep, was overly cheery Preston. _How the hell can someone be in that good of a mood with how shitty this world is?_ It didn't seem possible to Nora, but there he was.

"Yes, Preston? What can I do for you?" she tried not to bite his head off, she really did, but she wasn't as successful as she hoped. Preston faltered a bit, but regained his courage and pressed on.

"Sorry, I know it is early, but I was hoping to speak with you about a few things," he offered a mug of something that was steaming.

She eyed it for a moment, not daring to believe it was what she was hoping. Then the smell hit her. "Hell! How does coffee even exist anymore?" she exclaimed and accepted the mug, breathing it in even deeper just to savor the scent. It was such a welcome comfort she forgot herself and gave Preston a full grin.

He looked shocked, have never actually seen her full on smile. "It's rare and hard to come by, but I figured it was the least I could do for your help yesterday. Well that and this," he handed her a small sack of something that rattled. "I know it isn't much, but it is what we can afford. We would not be here if not for you."

She looked at him, stunned, but also accepted the sack, not looking in it. "You're welcome, I couldn't just leave you to die. That would have been wrong."

He chuckled, "Not many think like that anymore, so thank you all the same. Do you mind if I come in to discuss some things further?"

"Ummmm, sure," she stepped back and with that realized she looked like shit. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back." She scurried to the bathroom, grabbing a bucket of water and the old blanket on the way past.

She knew it was basically useless to try and clean up with how things were, but it would make her feel better, of that she was certain. The tile was cracked, as was the mirror, none of the plumbing worked, but it was still a bathroom and that was something. It looked as though Codsworth had been in here recently and cleaned up the debris as well as doing his best to clean up her hairbrush. He had also managed to find an unopened toothbrush, and it was sitting on the sink waiting for her.

Though it wasn't the most sanitary, Nora first dunked the toothbrush in the water bucket and scrubbed her teeth for a minute, rinsing by cupping some water to her mouth and spitting into the broken sink. The pipes were at least still attached, so it wouldn't end up on the floor. After this, she combed out her hair as best as possible and looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't looking her best, but she felt she looked better than just a few minutes ago and she also plain felt better. Peering at herself as best as she could, she saw her makeup was so faded it was almost gone. With a resigned sigh, she dipped a piece of the blanket in the water and scrubbed at her face.

Back to the mirror she went after another minute. All the makeup gone and what it was hiding could be clearly seen. Around her left eye and crawling slightly up the side of her nose was a patch of white. Nora had been born with it and was teased for a good chunk of her childhood due to it. As soon as she was old enough to wear makeup she learned to expertly cover it up. She had been so scared when Nate first saw it, but all he did was kiss the corner of her eye and tell her she was beautiful. It was right at that moment that Nora fully knew she loved him. _There's no covering it now I guess._ With a huff of air, she adjusted her Vault suite and the jacket she had slept in and walked back out to the living room.

He hadn't sat down, by was staring at the odds and ends on the inset shelf that had survived the blast and 200 years. She knew he wasn't trying to be rude as there was no way he could know this was her home and everything it was what was left of her life, it still made her uncomfortable though. Trying not to show it, she just reached for the mug left on the shelf and took a sip of the warm liquid. It was so wonderful; Nora closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment.

Preston didn't seem to fully notice, so entranced in the old relics of her life. "I always find it interesting to look at the items left behind from before the blast," he commented. "It's like look through a window into a piece of history." At this he came to a face down frame and with a jolt Nora realized it was her and Nate's wedding photo. Not wanting to answer some really difficult questions, she interrupted his exploration by stepping right next to him.

"You said you wanted to discuss something?"

His hand halted in the process of picking up the frame, it was still face down and Nora inwardly sighed. "Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me, sometimes I get lost in history."

 _Tell me about it_. Nora didn't let that thought pass her lips. She knew when to keep information close to her. Instead she only nodded and gestured for them to sit. He seemed to have much on his mind and Nora didn't blame him with having to watch after a group of people in this waste.

"We've been on the move for a long time, since Quincy. It has been a hard path and our group started out at fifteen. Now we are just five. This town looks like a place where we can not only settle down, but build and thrive here. You seem to know the area and already live here," he gestured at the house around them, indicating how comfortable she was in it. "I want to know if you are alright with us staying here, and if you would be willing to lend a hand in getting us fully settled?"

Nora didn't answer right away; it was something that deserved thought. This man had been through much and the fact he was able to not only keep going for those in his group, but also still smile and have hope showed him to be a strong person in both mind and body. Finally, after a few minutes and Preston looking very tense, she nodded.

"This town is not mine. I just live in this house because it is a part of who I am. I have no right to turn you away, nor do I see a need to. You are all tired and do not seem like the kind to turn on me or kill me without a very good reason." She gave him a soft smile as she saw him relax. "Honestly it might be nice to have neighbors again," she added as an afterthought.

When he gave her a look of curiosity, she waived the thought away. "Anyway, you said something about needing help. I'll do what I can, but to be honest I don't have many survival skills and such."

Preston just stared at her for a moment. He knew she was from a Vault; it was obvious from the blue suit and skin so pale it seemed unearthly. No one was that pale anymore and the even more pale spot around her eye added to that fact. The way she had handled herself with those raiders and the Deathclaw though clashed against her statement. Her expression the entire time had be grim, as though she was doing what she had to do to reach a goal. A goal that had not been reached yet.

He shook his head "I don't know about that with your actions yesterday. If that is true, you are a hell of a natural when it comes to the ways of the 'Wealth. But your story is your own. As for the help, mostly it is just with getting people settled and some other odds and ends to get the place actually started as a Settlement. If you are serious in lending a hand, Sturges will have more details."

Nora nodded her ascent and let Preston know she would be over in a bit. After he left she stayed on the couch with her little cup of heaven and let herself enjoy it. The world was shit compared to her life before. There were no hot showers, no clean clothes, and her family was gone. Though fully determined to find her son as soon as possible, Nora knew she would need to learn how to not just survive this wasteland, but rise above it. First she would enjoy her coffee.

XXXXX

Over the next week, Nora helped Sturges and the others make beds, not just mattresses, but frames too. The group had been sleeping on the ground for over a month and were exhausted and sore from it, especially poor Mama Murphy. After this she and Sturges got a simple water pump well system going since the water in the river was too irradiated to use consistently. He explained the well itself was just temporary until he could build a large purifier for the river water itself.

Talking to him was fascinating. He wasn't just a gear head or a grease monkey, but an honest genius in a world where so much knowledge was lost. While working together, he told stories of growing up with his father, also a man of machines. Nora was laughing the whole time for how many times Sturges or his father almost blew themselves up in one experiment or another. Working with him got her out of her mind more so she wasn't continuously focusing on all she had lost.

Sturges himself marveled and the Vault dweller that had been thrown into their path. Aside from thinking she looked royally pissed and gorgeous upon first seeing her, he hadn't believed she would be able to handle much in the way of anything. Damn it all if she hadn't proven him wrong at every turn though. Though not physically strong, she had a determination about her that gave her strength other than the physical kind. Though she never spoke about her past, he could see even when she was laughing, there was something broken in her gaze. The woman lost more than she was saying and he wasn't going to pry. _If she wants to talk about it, she'll do it well enough without my poking me nose about._ With this thought, they continued to work.

Aside from beds and water, they also got some crops going with Marcy, the bitchy Asian women who really didn't seem to like anyone, and worked on getting some defenses up. Since the group was so small, they focused on keeping everything near the house with the workshop. Crops out back, water pump next to the carport, and a couple of turrets to help guard. Nora still wasn't sure how Sturges had made the turrets from all the scraps and salvage, but there they were, one on top of the house and one hidden in some bushes, and it was quite astounding.

By the time this was all done, it had been three weeks since Nora had left Vault 111. She still wore her Vault suit off and on, switching it out on occasion with some old worn clothes every couple days. This was so she could give it a semblance of a washing and airing with some fire heated water and salvaged soap. When November 16th rolled around, Nora felt she needed to leave soon to try and find her son. She had already decided she would go to this Diamond City Mama Murphy told her about as it seemed like the amount of people that resided there might have answers. She had already had Preston mark it on her Pip-Boy map so she could find it.

While contemplating what to bring with her, there was a knock on her door. Knowing it was Preston, he was the only one who came to her house, she didn't look up. "Come in."

The red door creaked on its hinges and the sound of a heavy stride came in a couple steps. _Heavy steps? That's not right for Preston._ Her upward gaze revealed it not to be Preston, but an awkwardly shifting Sturges who looked as though he didn't know what to with his hands. After a moment, he shoved them in his pockets.

"Hey there. I was wondering if you would be up to going over to Concord with me. Wanted to get that Power Armor that was left and see what we could strip off those Raiders. If we're lucky, no one's gone in yet and taken it all," the man looked so shy with his request Nora couldn't help but give him a small smile.

 _He's so sweet and patient, I wonder why doesn't have someone?_ Deliberating for a moment, Nora shrugged and gave a nod "Why not? It would be good for me to roam a bit more before fully heading out."

Sturges looked as though he wanted to ask where and why she would be headed, but kept it to himself. "Well, I'm going now if you're ready."

Nora grabbed her bag and shoved her 10mm in the simple holster she and Preston had made and was about to head out when she reached back and grabbed her baton. Thanks to Preston and a hunting excursion to Red Rocket to the kill the Molerats, she was more confident with the gun, but still preferred the feeling of the baton in her hand. "I'm ready."

Within a few minutes they passed the old truck stop and were back in Concord not much longer. They had passed the time with idle chatter, mostly Sturges with more tales of his father or his time with the Atom Cats, a group of gearheads and grease monkeys who loved Power Armor. He could always make her laugh, and for that she was grateful. It was nice to have something to laugh about when the world around them was a blasted mess.

In Concord, they went through each body they could locate, stripping them of armor, weapons, caps, and anything else useful, even clothes. It made Nora uncomfortable to say the least, but she saw the logic in it so she gritted her teeth and carried on. Sturges had located an old wagon and most of it was loaded into that. The rest stuffed in their respective bags to be carried back.

The Power Armor was the last thing to be rounded up. It still stood where she had left it, fusion core and all. It was dented and scraped, with some small pieces missing, but Sturges declared it to be in full working order and offered it to her to walk back in. Nora was not ready to get back in the contraption and hurriedly shook her head, declining. Apparently Sturges's offer had been one of politeness as he looked like a gleeful child climbing in.

Nora rose her brows at him "Been a while since you've used Power Armor?"

He chuckled, sounding slightly metallic in the suit, "Yeah, it was a big part of my life that I left to help Preston and the rest out. To say I missed it wouldn't quite cover it."

They both looked around, making sure nothing was missed and both paused in front of the dead Deathclaw. Nora had forgotten just how large it was. Even in death it still looked fierce, having barely decomposed after three weeks. Though she couldn't quite tell, Sturges looked as though he was considering something about the animal itself.

"You know, the claws and horns of these can be pretty useful, and the hide makes great armor. Even with that, they all can fetch a decent amount of caps too," he hummed about it for a few minutes before looking up at the sky. "It's getting later than I like, I'll come back for it later. We've got plenty for now," with that, he took the handle of the wagon from her and hauled off out of Concord. She was about to protest and offer to pull it, but knew she was internally grateful she didn't have too.

As they passed by the Red Rocket again, Sturges stopped and suggested they check for anything good. Nora just shrugged, stating she had nowhere to be. For this Sturges ejected from the suit and gleefully strode to the station entrance, hoping for tools and good scrap.

"I think I just found my vacation home!" he cried when located the fully stocked work bench and power armor stand. The toolbox in the garage still had some great pieces too.

Nora laughed at him, enjoying his excitement, "Well then, instead of hauling it back to Sanctuary, why don't you set up a shop here?"

He grinned back at her, "I might just do that!" hands on his hips, he gazed around, obviously plotting many projects and most likely some mayhem with.

Nora just shook her head and wandered into the rest of the station, letting him have his moment. Since she and Preston had already cleared the place out, there wasn't much to worry about. Running her finger along the dust covered counter, she couldn't help but think back to when this place was bustling with people and laughter. It was so painful she wanted to rip the thoughts out, but knew she couldn't and let the memories flow while she wandered.

Sturges had spent near twenty minutes in the garage before he noticed Nora wasn't there with him. Concerned, he followed her prints in the dust into the station. There he found her gazing at two old stools at a table looking devastated. To his further shock, there were tears rolling down her cheeks. He shuffled his feet, not knowing how to handle tears very well, but thought he should do something.

Nora heard his feet on the concrete and quickly turned away, scrubbing her face with her palms. "Sorry, did you need something?" her voice was strained.

He could tell she was holding back, and was about to let her be, but shook his head and stepped forward, "Hey, you okay? You're looking a bit rough."

Nora tensed when a hand landed on her shoulder, trying to hold in her anger and sadness. "I was just remembering when Nate and I used to walk down here. We would sit at these exact stools and each have an ice cream cone and make up stories of the people driving by. Nate was such a goof at those times it made it perfect," she let out a hitched breath. "It's just hard seeing this place like this with all these memories of when it was so perfect."

Sturges tried to piece together what she was saying. _Ice cream and driving? The place being perfect? What the hell was she talking about? This place hadn't seen anything like that in centuries! Hell I barely know what ice cream is!_ "Wait, you are talking about things that haven't been around for a very long time."

She let a bitter laugh escape her lips "Don't I know it!" she stepped fully to the window and leaned on the ledge, letting the light breeze tease bits from her bun to float around her. "Sturges, I didn't live in that Vault, I was frozen in it. I had just woken up and left it two days before I met you all in Concord," she paused, hesitating and turned back to him. "Sturges, I'm over 200 years old and my whole world, everything I knew is dead and gone." The tears flowed free now and Nora was gasping for breath.

The large machine loving man was at a loss and in a bit of shock. 200 years old and knowing nothing about this wasteland and here she was in front of him crying. He marveled at the fact she was still alive. Not fully knowing what to do with a crying woman, but knowing he had to do something, he stepped forward and pulled Nora into a fierce hug.

That robot of hers seemed to care for her and do his best, but he figured she hadn't gotten much in the way of physical comfort and reassurance yet. She hung limply against him for a minute, unsure and slightly taken aback. Slowly though, he brought her hands up to his chest and leaned in to him, letting out her anguish and fear. She told him the whole story, from the morning before the bombs fell, to watching her baby being taken, and finally leaving the Vault. She told him of her promise.

Sturges held her the whole time, letting her get through it all. He was astounded at her tale. It was near hard to believe, but he believed it. It filled in the little questions about her and how she seemed so lost about everything around her initially, or when she mentioned a name or event that was so out of date it was barely remembered.

When the story had finally ended, she snuffled into his overalls for a bit, just trying to regain her breath. He was still holding her, with his big arms wrapped around her back, one hand gently on the back of her head. It felt good to be held, to not feel completely alone for just a few minutes. Finally, she sucked in a large breath and looked up at his face. She had to crane her head to do it as he was a good six inches taller than her 5'8", "Thank you," she said softly.

 _Damn she's pretty._ He thought, slightly dumbstuck and the slim woman in his arms. Thinking of how close she was he suddenly blushed deeply along the back of his neck and ears. "Er, um, yeah. You just looked like you really needed it," and he stepped back slightly, digging an old rag out of his pocket and handing it to her.

Taking it, she smiled softly at his awkwardness, but didn't say anything. Nora figured it would only embarrass the man further. "It did, so again thank you," she mopped up her face as best she could and handed the rag back.

Sturges shoved it back into his pocket, thinking over the whole what she has been through. "Gotta say, you're looking pretty damned good for bein' over 200 years."

A laugh jumped escaped from Nora's lips, as though she wasn't expecting it. "I guess I do!" and with that she stepped over to him, put a hand on one cheek and leaned up to kiss the other. "You're a good man, Sturges. I appreciate how you are not freaking out right now."

His whole face had turned red at the small kiss and he fumbled over his words before getting anything out. "It, ah, it was the right thing to do. As for the freaking out, just wait, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a whole lot a questions for you later."

She chuckled and patted his shoulder, "I'm sure you will, better get them quick though. I'm thinking of leaving for Diamond City tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, you sure? There is a whole lot a nasty out there you don't know about yet."

Another sigh left her "I know, but I have find my son and I can't do that here."

He pondered for a moment, "Give it another week. We can make sure you're all outfitted and that you and your weapons are ready."

He was worried about her, she could tell. She didn't really want to wait any longer than necessary, but he was most likely right. If she wanted to find her son, she would have to make sure she could live long enough to actually find him. She nodded her head, "Okay, I'll wait one more week."

Sturges let out the air he hadn't realized he was holding in. _Good. There is no reason a pretty thing like her should get killed in the waste if I can help it._ He immediately began making a mental list of what to get working on for her. With a nod and a mention on how they should be heading back, he strode back to the power armor. Before he could grab the wagon handle, Nora was already there and ready to go. He didn't argue, but just shrugged and lifted both their packs.


	6. A Road Paved With Hearthbreak

Chapter 5 – A Road Paved With Hearthbreak

Another week passed with Nora in Sanctuary. Sturges had, with Nora's approval, given Preston a breakdown of Nora's story. In turn, Preston opened up about why his little group had traveled so far to find safety. He told her of the massacre and how they had started with over twenty people from Quincy, arriving at Sanctuary with only five. He told her how Marcy and Jun lost their own son, attributing to the lost and broken demeanors of the couple. He told her of the destruction of the Minutemen, and how he was the lost one.

Nora felt his pain wash over her. The loss and helplessness he felt through it all matched her own pain. At the end of it, he admitted he didn't feel fit to be the long term leader of the Minutemen, to be their General, but he asked Nora to consider stepping into the role.

It was unexpected to say the least and at first she had no idea how to respond. She had been through so much and this world was so knew to her, how could this man expect her to lead anyone at this point, she had no idea.

"Why would you want me to lead? Of all people I'm probably the least qualified person you could find. Along with that, I'm about to leave to find anything I can to get me my son back."

Preston gave her a tight smile. "That's what I see in you that makes you perfect for it! Despite all you have been through, despite your son being missing and not knowing any one of us, you still stopped and helped us. You saved our lives and brought us here and assisted in getting this place set up to actually be something long term! You help those who need helping, without there being something in it for you. That is a rare quality these days and something we desperately need," his voice had become more impassioned as he spoke, sparking a light in his eyes that shone out in his belief of her.

It was moving to say the least and Nora could tell he meant every word of it. She still wasn't sure of it though. "Look Preston. I want to help, I really do, but I don't think I'm ready to lead people yet, even a small group," his face fell at her words. "How about this, I won't take on the mantle of General, but I will think about it. In the meantime, I'll help out in any way I can to get you guys and the Minutemen on their feet and ready for anything."

A sigh huffed passed his lips. "I suppose that is understandable with all you have gone through. I know asking you to take this on is more than a bit much. I appreciate any help you are willing to give us. You are leaving tomorrow, correct"

Nora bobbed her head in ascent "Yes, in the morning."

"Okay, we have a settlement that has been asking for help and they are on the way to Diamond City. Would you consider stopping by there and seeing what you can do?"

As she had just agreed to help whenever she could, Nora couldn't really decline, "Sure, show me where they are," and she held out her left wrist with the Pip-Boy for him to mark the settlement, Oberland Station. Gazing over it, she saw he was right; it was right on the way to Diamond City, barely out of her way.

That night, Nora slept heavy with the hope she would soon have more information on where he son might. Waking early to again check over her gear and pack, she made the rounds of the settlers to say goodbye, even to Marcy, who just huffed at her. Last she went to Mama Murphy before talking to Sturges.

"You need the sight kid? I thought you might stop by before headin' out."

Nora had gone back and forth on giving more chems to Mama Murhpy, despite her insistence that she was too old for it to matter more. She had found some Jet in one of the old houses, keeping it on her due to the indecision, but had finally agreed to go for it, determining she could use all the help and information she could get.

"Yeah Mama, I got some jet for you," holding the canister out to the old woman.

The old wrinkled face lite up at the sight of the little inhaler and snatched it up. Taking two deep puffs, she let it settle and wash over her before speaking, "You're looking for a man. He can help you, but he ain't gonna be the man you expect. He's somewhere... deep... and dark. Surrounded by folks with nothin' but cruel intentions. But there's... an echo... Something in the past that can help you. When you meet the fat man, and the angry woman, tell them to "remember the Quarry and Lilly June on the rocks", and they'll let you and your friend pass" Mama Murphy let out a wheeze and a couple of hacking coughs, trying to catch her breath.

"Mama! You okay? Do you need something?" Nora had panic in her voice. _Dammit! I shouldn't have done this!_

The old woman waved her away though "Nah kid, I'm fine. Just need to rest a bit. The sight always takes it outta me. You'll do fine kid, I know it."

Nora still looked worried, but nodded and let her be as she shuffled off to one of the old scavenged patio chairs near the workbench. "Thank you Mama, I appreciate it."

It was then Sturges walked around the side of the house, he had been working on patching some of the holes in the walls and roof. Nora's eyes lit up at the site of him. He had helped her greatly the last week. Since Nora wasn't the most comfortable with guns, he was determined to make her so, to the extent of teaching her out to break down her little 10mm to show her how it all worked and put it back together. He also taught her some different ways she could improve it to be lighter and cause more damage.

From all the armor and weapons they had gathered from the Raiders, she and Sturges together had altered pieces to fit and protect her better while traveling. He had explained he wasn't a professional and she would be able to get better elsewhere, but every little bit helps. This included the belt of pouches they had made and improved holsters for her gun and baton. He had also insisted she take a shotgun as well because "Sometimes shit is big and mean and you need something mean to shoot it with."

"Sturges! I'm about ready to head out, are my guns ready?" Sturges had wanted to have a going over of both her guns before she left, and she had readily agreed.

He beamed at her and waved her to join him at the weapons workbench that was set up in the old carport. "Sure are, come on over. The shotgun is all cleaned up and as good as I can make it. If something gets close to you, just aim for the chest and it will go down pretty good," he passed it over to her, and while she checked it over and stowed it away, he got her 10mm out. "And here we go, I uh, did some modifications to it. I hope you don't mind," he shifted uneasily and rubbed the back of his head after he gave it to her.

Nora couldn't see why at first, and then she noticed it. On one side, delicately inscribed was one word, "Nate." She gaped at him, stunned.

He shifted more and said sheepishly "All the best weapons have names and it seemed a fitting one for the first gun you found."

With those words Nora face shifted into a large smile. She quickly holstered the gun and gave Sturges a big hug, having to stand on her toes slightly to wrap her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she softly spoke. "You've been such a good friend. I don't know what I would have done without you, without any of you."

The big man's face turned tato red, but he returned the embrace carefully, not wanting to crush the small woman. _She is so tiny; I don't know how she has so much strength in her._ Hesitantly he stepped out of the embrace. "Yeah, well, we wouldn't be here without you either, so it seemed like the right thing to do. Make sure you remember all the stuff I told you about scrapping and such. You never know what will be useful."

Nora knew he was trying to get back to something he was familiar with, and she let him. For how close they had gotten over the last month, Nora had guarded her heart, not allowing herself to feel more than friendship for the big man. Had the circumstances been different, she surmised they could become more than friends, but everything was so knew and the loss of her husband was too fresh. It was too soon for something new, when she still felt married to Nate.

Instead, she nodded her head "I'll make sure to keep an eye out for anything that can help." With those words, she gave his arm a squeeze and headed out of town by the bridge, Dogmeat loping at her side.

Sturges watched her go, worried all over for her safety, but happy she was on her way to find her son. He couldn't help but admire the view as she walked away. Under the mismatched leather armor shown the blue Vault suit she always wore, the very tight Vault suit that hugged her every curve in the best ways possible. _Damn a man could end up dead from being distracted by that ass._ He shook his head ruefully, remembering he had nearly smashed some of his fingers with his hammer when she was walking by one day.

When Nora rounded the corner and was out of sight, Sturges turned back to the carport to work more on the Power Armor she had decided to leave behind. Her reasoning being that it was too large and just a bit to awkward for her to use continuously. Which was fine with him though as it only gave him more time to improve it should she need it in the future. He was certain she would be back, as Mama Murphy had said, her energy was tied to this place.

XXXXX

Nora made it through Concord quickly and was well down the road with Dogmeat, when she spied a cabin a bit off the road. Remembering Sturges advice on scrap and the different dangers in the 'Waste, she carefully approached. At first all she saw was what looked like some rotting corpses, until they started to move. _Feral Ghouls!_ She hadn't seen one before, but Preston had described them accurately enough she was sure.

There were four of them and they ran at her like wild animals, moving with a speed that didn't seem possible with their rotted state. With a cry of fear, she leveled her shotgun and managed to take the foremost out in one shot. The second she missed in her haste and had to scramble to the side to avoid being hit by its long nails. Managing to reload quickly, but dropping some shells in the process, she re-aimed and took out the next two easily. During this time, Dogmeat had wrestled down the last one and tore out its rotted throat so easily, he basically detached the head.

Nora's chest heaved with the rush of adrenaline and fear. She was alive and more than slightly amazed about that fact. "Okay, I made it. I'm fine and so is the dog and all is well for the moment." Dogmeat yipped at her in response and bumped her leg.

With a huff of air, Nora lowered her gun and allowed herself to take comfort in scratching the mutt behind the ears. After a couple minutes of calming down, Nora then went to each corpse and collected whatever she could, along with picking up the earlier dropped shells. There wasn't much, but she managed to get about ten caps total from them, along with some random scrap.

Nora stowed it all away, adding the caps into the special bag she had made for them. It still amused her that bottlecaps were now used as currency. Preston had explained it to her after learning her origins, since she was confused about the bag of caps he had previously given her. Between Preston's payment for helping in Concord, and the trading she did with the trader 'Trashcan' Carla, Nora had about 150 caps total now.

 _Thank god for Carla._ Nora thought as she headed towards the cabin. Carla had taken the time to give Nora a crash course in bartering to make sure wouldn't get ripped off down the road. Preston or Sturges probably could have done it, but the education most likely would not have been as good as with Carla, this being because Carla bartered as a livelihood and had dealings with all types of people.

Stepping onto the porch, Nora saw the door was ajar. Readying her pistol this time, she nudged the door further open with a boot to find just one ghoul rising to greet her. Before it had a chance to rush, she quickly fired three shots and downed it. Allowing her breathing to steady once more, Nora proceeded to search the cabin and ghoul, stowing all she found in her bag, and then headed back down the road.

It wasn't much longer that she stumbled into a standoff outside of an old diner. From what Nora could hear, the two rough individuals outside the diner wanted the ones inside to pay them for something. She briefly considered going by and not getting involved, but from the looks of the ones in the diner needed help. Oh so carefully, she approached making sure not to startle anyone and get shot. Dogmeat stayed close to her side and alert, ready to spring into action.

"Hey you!" called the male outside the diner, his female counterpart keeping her weapon trained on Nora. "Think you can give us a hand? There'll be caps in it for you."

Nora knew better than to answer right away, her years in college to be a lawyer had taught her that and much more. Instead she eyed the two in front of her and glanced over at the diner. She was nervous as all hell and questioning why she was doing this, and she could feel her palms getting sweaty, but she spoke with a calm voice. "Depends, what's going on?"

The man laid out for her a tale of chems given that weren't paid for and he was here to collect, either from the kid who was now addicted or from his mother. He would prefer to do so without killing them both, but it wouldn't bother him much if it came to it.

"Well? You gonna help or what?"

She hummed to herself for a moment "Let me go talk to Trudy real quick, see if we can work this out peacefully?"

He just shrugged and waived her on. Nora strode calmly to the diner, making sure Trudy could see her and the fact she wasn't armed. She didn't enter the diner immediately, but waited in the doorway until Trudy nodded for her to proceed.

"Saw you out there talking to Wolfgang. Real piece of work that one. Gets my boy hooked on jet and now expects money for all the shit he pushed on him," Trudy growled it out, looking pissed and worried all at once. "Look, I don't know you, but I can tell you my boy didn't deserve this happenin' to him and those raiders shouldn't have been forcing shit on him he couldn't pay for. If you can get us out of this mess, I can pay you for your troubles and I'll give you a discount if you need to trade anything ever."

Objectively, Nora knew Trudy's was offer was the better one. She would be getting more out of the deal in the long run compared to the one time offer of caps from Wolfgang. Emotionally, she knew helping Trudy was also one that was better. Not only would it save Trudy and her son's lives, it would make sure they kept their caps and Trudy's son would kick the chems. Along with that, it also meant getting two more raiders out of the way so they wouldn't cause future troubles. With all this in mind, Nora agreed to help Trudy and with Dogmeat at her side, rushed out to end Wolfgang and his companion.

Right before Nora ended the man for good, she stood over him in fury and let him speak his last. "You bitch! You coulda made a lot of caps from me, now you get shit for this!"

Nora felt a cold calm take over her and a slow little smile twist her lips. "You're wrong; I get the pleasure of removing two useless and horrid people from this existence. Also, it is a poor business decision to give out goods without a guarantee you will be compensated for them." With those words she left a hole between his eyes and turned back towards the diner. Though the idea of going through the belongings of the dead still didn't sit well with her, she knew it was necessary and would do so after speaking with Trudy.

Trudy in turn gave her a wide eyed, slightly fearful look when she walked back in. The calm and kind woman who she previously spoke seemed a complete opposite of the seemingly ruthless killer now in front of her. She expected a longer fight and a higher level of hesitance in the kill as the stranger didn't initially seem like a one who was fully comfortable in the world around her, partially stemming from the obvious fact the woman was from a Vault. At least Trudy figured she came from one as she was attired in the distinct blue Vault suite and had one of those wrist computer things on.

"Well, that was not how I thought it was gonna go, but I appreciate it anyway. Here are your caps, it's not much, but it's what I got," she pushed a small bag across to the woman and let her know she was welcome anytime.

"I didn't do it for the caps, but because it was the right thing to do," Nora replied, but still shoved the caps in with her others.

Trudy shook her head. "Not many would do so, so thanks anyway stranger."

"Nora, my name's Nora. I'm glad I could help and it was good to meet you." Nora held her hand out in greeting to Trudy.

For a moment the older woman just stared at it. She could count on one hand the number of times she had seen a person help another for no gain. That combined with the smooth speech and old manners made this woman quite the puzzle. Trudy shrugged it off as she considered it none of her business and hesitantly shook the proffered hand, offering a small smile in turn.

"Next time you're passing through, you stop on by if you need to offload or pick up anything. You'll get a good deal from me, I promise. Now, if you need nothing else, I have to be seeing to my boy."

Nora said her farewells and wished Trudy's son speedy recovery before stepping back out the door. Dogmeat was there patiently waiting for her on the other side of the drive. She gave him a scratch behind his ears before quickly going over the bodies and heading out, stowing the caps, weapons, and some of the gear in her bag and pouches and looping a pair of goggles around her neck that was taken from the female raider.

The rest of the journey to Oberland was fairly uneventful. Nora went off the road not long after Drumlin to follow the train tracks instead; Sturges has suggested it since the tracks ran right by the settlement. From there she only had a run in with a group of mongrels, wild hairless dogs that were vicious and fast, and made a wide berth around a building around which she could see Super Mutants wandering.

Nora knew of Super Mutants, though they hadn't been called that, from before the war, and according to Preston they were all over the place now. Knowing she was not ready for one of the big brutes, much less the twenty or more she saw, she stayed low on the hill opposite the building and quietly made her way past. Thankfully not a one heard or saw her.

Checking her Pip-Boy, she saw she was almost to the settlement and looked at the land ahead of her. The closest thing she could see was what looked like a Greenhouse and then a bridge. Approaching the building all she could see was many crops and more than a few Mister Handy bots tending to them. None appeared to have noticed her or paid her any mind when she started walking through the small trees of what looked like fruit, so she relaxed some.

Inside she met Mrs. White, a white painted bot who asked for her assistance with cleaning up the water coming from the old plant just to the west. Since Nora was already on a mission to help another Settlement and needed to get to Diamond City, she said she would do so if she could later, but wasn't able to now. The bot seemed to accept her explanation and asked her to stop in again. Nora left Greygarden, which she slightly remembered from before the war, with a shake of her head and a smile. It was astounding the place had survived and the bots with it. She made sure to mark the place on her map and made a note to go back and help when she could.

Oberland wasn't much after Greygarden and Nora almost passed it by before realizing the lone tower and farm plot was the place she needed to be. After the two residents realized she wasn't another Raider trying to hassle them, she learned how badly they were being hassled and where they trouble was coming from. They showed her the building on her map and asked for any help she could give in clearing the Raiders out. The two hadn't fully believed the Minutemen were still around, but if Nora could help they would consider joining up.

Before heading out, back the way she had come Nora saw from the map, she stowed some of the stuff she had been lugging next the settlement's workbench. With a quick drink of some purified water and chewing down a few pieces of jerky, she stretched her back and shoulders and headed back up the hill and North on the tracks.

When she saw the Raiders were holed up in the old Corvega plant, she smiled. Her father had passed his love of cars along to his daughter and they had both toured the plant numerous times. Aside from some offices and one or two other areas, Nora new the plant very well and was feeling confident about the whole thing. That was until she noticed the turret out front of the building along with the four Raiders on patrol.

Nora hadn't even begun to formulate a plan before Dogmeat, the idiot apparently, charged forward with a bark and growl at the nearest man. "Well there goes the element of surprise!" she growled out. She was about to pop out and start shooting when she noticed the Raiders had only seen her stupid dog and not her. They were so busy trying to shoot down Dogmeat none had stopped to think if the mutt was alone or not. She also noted they were failing to shoot the dog as well. Having taken down raider one easy he was now running around taking quite nips out of those he flew passed.

She grinned. _Maybe this won't be so bad. Priority one, turret after that, people._ Decision made, Nora moved from her cover, 10mm drawn and firing at the turret in quick succession. Due to the distance and her inexperience the first couple shots missed. After adjusting her aim, she hit the metal machine and fired until her magazine was empty and the turret exploded, happily taking a nearby raider out with it. Dogmeat took down the last man while she was jogged to the door, reloading her gun in the process.

While she was briefly considered going through the bodies now, a shot rang from above and pain bloomed in her shoulder. "Shit!" _There are more on the roof!_ was the next thought as she dodged for the door with Dogmeat on her heels. After ducking inside and leaning against the slammed door she really started to feel the new wound. It was the same shoulder that had been hit in Concord, but this time it wasn't a graze and it hurt enough for her to see little white spots at the edges of her vision.

Preston had given her some basic medical training and made sure she knew of stimpaks and med-x before leaving, but nothing could have prepared her for an actual gunshot wound. Nora knew very little about such things, but was able to tell she didn't have another hole out the back of her shoulder. She was about to shove a stimpack next to the wound when she realized the bullet was still in her and it was most likely a good idea to get it out first.

 _Shit, fuck, god damned messed up hell hole!_ Her internal swearing only came out in grunts and whimpers while she dug into the shallow hole, grasping the bullet and pulling it from her body. She almost passed out and would have if Dogmeat hadn't nipped at her wrist, jolting her back to full consciousness. The mutt knew this wasn't a good place to rest and wouldn't allow his new found friend to stay there when they needed to get moving.

She glared at him while finally jabbing the stimpak in. "You are a scary smart mutt Dogmeat," she muttered at him.

He just whuffed at her in return and rotated to face into the lobby they were now in.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get this done." It was starting to make her uncomfortable with how quickly she was getting comfortable she was getting the idea of killing another person. _Is this how it will always be? Killing from one day to the net just to survive with no regard to the one you are killing? Will I become like all the others here and allow it to become so part of me that it holds no meaning?_ Thinking back to how calmly she had shot down Wolfgagn and his companion with no hesitation _Maybe I already am._ This all spun in Nora's head, wondering if she will become a monster before she can ever find her son.

Dogmeat had noticed she hadn't moved, and, seeing she was lost in thought again, padded forward licked all up her face to pull her out of it. The sudden onslaught of slobber and dog breath broke her revere right quick. "Ugh! Dogmeat! Really!?"

He just whuffed at her again nudge her to get on her feet.

"Okay, I get it. We have to move." She gave him another glare, but rubbed his head at the same time. She wasn't actually mad at him since he was just looking after her. She just didn't appreciate sudden dog drool on her face. Readying her shotgun, they moved forward.

Room after room they had cleared of raiders until they reached the production area where the apparent leader was. Nora had more scrapes and bruises then at any other point in her life and now sported a sluggishly bleeding gash across her right eyebrow. Not wanting to use another stimpak on it, she only had three more, she had cleaned it as best she could, holding an old cloth to it until the bleeding slowed, then moved on.

From what she could tell there were only about six raiders left, one being the leader. At least she figured it was the leader since he was the one telling the others what to do. So she could fully assess it all, she kept a firm hold on the bandana she had tied around Dogmeat's neck, preventing him from charging forward again. She grinned when she saw the protrectron in its holding pod. She had already found the terminal for it and figured it was a good way to cause a distraction.

Forty minutes later Nora was scavenging through the bodies, cabinets, and desks in the office. She was tired, bloody, and sweaty, but she didn't want to stay in the plant any longer than possible and grabbed all she could before heading back the way she came. Within an hour she was back at Oberland giving them the happy news of dead raiders. Since Nora had returned alive, though considerably the worse for wear, they had agreed to join the Minutemen in return for the help and would help in any way they could as well.

At this point all Nora wanted was a shower and sleep. Since she knew a shower was not going to happen, she opted for just sleep and asked if there was a place she could bed down for the night as it was getting late. Normally a walk into the city wouldn't take all day, but the fighting and back tracking had delayed her travels quite a bit and the sun was going down.

Though the settlers didn't have much, they readily offered one of the beds in the short wood tower next to the tracks. Before actually allowing her to go to bed, they also made sure she had something to eat and that none of her wounds were serious. The two women living there could tell Nora was exhausted and had forgotten about other needs besides sleep. If they allowed her to sleep before taking care of herself, Nora would feel even worse in the morning.

An hour later, Nora collapsed on the dirty mattress and happily closed her eyes. Dogmeat had followed her up and wiggled himself in next to her with a huff and a nudge. She chuckled at him and scooted a bit. It was in that moment the whole day came back at her.

She had lost track of the number of people she had killed in just that day. With a choked gasp, her heart clenched and tears flowed out. Nora buried her face in the dog's fur as she remembered the faces of Wolfgang and his companion as they lay dead in front of her. She saw the faces of each raider and their leader as one after the next they were blown apart by her shotgun, ripped apart by Dogmeat, or ended with a bullet in the chest from her 10mm.

Her eyes trailed down to the holstered gun and pulled it out. Running her fingers over the inscription, she let her tears fall onto the barrel. "Nate, I don't know if I can do this. The world is so strange and broken now. I have already killed so many and I know I will have to do more of it if I am going to find Shaun." Her voice was just a whisper, only Dogmeat able to hear her. "Will I even be someone who can be a mother when I find my son? My heart is breaking more and more with each step I take and I have barely begun. I just don't know."

Dogmeat inched himself closer and placed a paw on her leg. He whined at her, obviously wanting to offer comfort and companionship. In response, Nora lay back down and curled in tighter to the mutt, drying her tears in his coat and finally passing out into a physically and emotionally exhausted sleep.


	7. The Great Green Jewel

Chapter 6 – The Great Green "Jewel"

Light streamed through the small windows and stabbed into Nora's closed eyes. The sun was fully up and she had overslept. A pained groan escaped her lips. She hurt all over her body to the point she ached in places she didn't know she had. Trying to sitting up, she felt a stab of pain in her side and fell back to the mattress. Prodding at the pained area, she was reminded of the butt of a gun slamming into her in that exact spot.

Nora let her eyes fall closed as a new tear slid out of one corner. _This shouldn't be my life. I should be at home tickling Shaun's feet while Codsworth is readying the grill for dinner. The only conflicts in my life should be deciding what Shaun's Halloween costume will be and my next big case at work. This shouldn't be my life._ Her hand rose to cover her eyes while her breath shuddered out. Once again she felt a new flash of pain when that hand landed. The eyebrow that was cut, she had forgotten about that with all the other aches and pains.

Another groan and Nora forced her body back up and to a full stand. She hadn't asked for this life, but she was stuck with it and allowing herself to fall into despair was not going to get her baby back to her. With a grunt in her throat, she made she legs take her out of the small room and down the stairs, Dogmeat trailing after her.

She spoke quickly to the two settlers, scrubbed her face in a bucket of cold water, not daring to actually try and see her reflection, and headed south down the tracks to Diamond City, munching on a mutated fruit, or mutfruit she guessed, from Greygarden. Nora didn't want to begin to guess how bad she looked. Her clothes were dirty and stained, her hair falling out of the bun she had pinned it up in, face bruised and scratched, and more than a few holes in her suit all just made her feel horrid. Resolved to not think about it, she kept her eyes on the surrounding area.

Before she knew it, she had made it to the city and was surrounded by its tall buildings. When she hit the big highway, or interstate she didn't think it mattered what she called it anymore she checked her Pip-Boy map and turned east. She made sure was heavily listening to what was around her at this point, her little pistol drawn and ready at her side. Even Dogmeat was moving with caution.

After an hour of walking, she finally made it to the Diamond City she was told about. She had to fight her way through Raiders, feral ghouls, and was almost caught by some Super Mutants, but she made it, with more injuries. In just thinking about that last hour, Nora knew she wouldn't have been able to make it without Dogmeat at her side and briefly regretted leaving Codsworth behind in Sanctuary.

Feet aching, she followed the signs along the green wall of what she realized was Fenway Park. Her father used to take her to the games when she was a child. Rounding the corner Nora was surprised to find a woman pounding on the big metal door of the park, yelling to be let in.

"C'mon Danny! This isn't funny! Open the door!" the dark haired woman was yelling into an intercom that crackled in response.

Nora didn't catch all it, but it sounded like something the woman had done had displeased the Mayor and said Mayor didn't want the woman back in the town. This is when the woman kicked the door in frustration, turned and finally noticed Nora. Nora had already been standing there for about five minutes, swaying from exhaustion and pain.

The woman eyed Nora, quickly assessing the injuries and obvious need to get into the city. Adjusting her red coat and matching news cap, she strode over to the Vault dweller, confirmed by the blue suit, Pip-boy, and fish out of water look, and leaned in close.

"Hey, you're looking ta get into the city, right?"

Nora blinked at her "Uh, yeah," she replied in less than her normal eloquent wording. She was too damned exhausted to care at that moment.

"Good, good, just play along," raising her voice to then be heard by all around her and most likely by those inside. "What was that? You said you're a trader up from Quincy? You have enough supplies to keep the general store stocked for a whole month? Huh."

The intercom crackled "Alright, alright Piper, no need to get mean about it!" and with those words, the gate lifted.

Nora almost toppled over in relief when she tried to step forward. She was thankfully caught by the woman, Piper apparently. "Whoa! Easy there Blue, let's get you inside."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," was all she could gasp out.

Before they could get farther than the entrance, they were halted by a heavily built man in a suit and tie. From what Nora could discern, he was the Mayor and none too happy with Piper and the fact she was entering the city. There was a quick argument with Piper defending her right to print facts and dig out the truth of what was happening in Diamond City.

"What about you Blue? You support the news? 'Cause the mayor's threatening to throw free speech in the dumpster." Nora barely noticed Piper was talking to her.

 _If it wasn't for the news telling the truth, many more people would have died._ "I'm all for freedom speech," was her weary reply.

The man finally noticed her at that point. "Oh! I'm sorry you've been dragged into all this. Welcome to Diamond City!"

Nora narrowed her eyes at him slightly, he seemed slimy, much like the politicians she had to deal with before the world ended. "This hasn't been the friendliest welcome."

"She's got you there, McDonough. Guess not everyone gets won over by that shark smile of yours," Piper swung back at him with a grin.

This earned Piper a glare from the Mayor, "Ahem. Now, was there anything particular you came to our city for?"

Nora really didn't want to talk to him, but if he really was the Mayor of the town, he would know the people in it. "I'm looking for someone, my son. He was kidnapped." Despite her injuries, the pain of her loss shown through her eyes for both parties to see and Piper immediately jumped in.

"Wait. Your son's missing? You hear that, McDonough? Is Diamond City Security just going to stand by while a mother, searches for her infant son, all on her own?"

Nora tuned them out while they squabbled, she just wanted to sit down and rest. She keyed back in when the Mayor said there was nothing he could do to help her, and neither could the cities security team. _Isn't that what a security or police for is for? To help people?_ Nora pondered to herself.

"Look, if you can't help me, who can I talk to that actually can? I don't have time for this nonsense," her voice broke into the argument like a knife made from her anger and annoyance.

The Mayor and Piper both gaped at her until Piper finally remembered the vaultie was injured and really needed help. She moved to the woman's side and through her arm over her shoulder, supporting Nora as she looked like she was about to drop.

"McDonough, if you aren't going to help, move aside so we can get this woman to the Doc," Piper hauled Nora away, Dogmeat following and giving the Mayor a disgruntled look in passing.

Nora didn't have a chance to question where she was being taken before being placed unceremoniously on a table in front of a very annoyed looking man in a white lab coat. Said man subjected her to a cold and quick exam and no bedside manner. A couple of stimpaks and some wound cleaning later, Nora was feeling much better and started actually checking her surroundings.

Diamond City was filled with wood and metal shacks centered around what look like an open market. She couldn't see much of it, but it all looked dirty and ramshackle and not what she hoped. One thing it was though, was full of people, adults and children, all running about for shopping or eating at what seemed to be a noodle stand in the middle. It was not at all what she hoped it would be, but honestly better than the other places she had seen.

She was brusquely dismissed by the doctor, Dr. Sun Piper told her later, after Piper paid the man. Stepping out of the small open shop, Nora stretched her arms up and allowed her spine to crack. She was still sore all over, but not in extreme pain and dripping blood and sweat.

Piper was at her side, eyeing her quizzically, as though debating her next move in chess game. Finally gave a firm nod for a decision made and stuck out her hand. "Since we didn't have a proper introduction; Piper Wright, reporter and all around rabble rouser."

Seeing as the feisty brunette before her just paid a hefty sum in caps that resulted in most likely saving her life, Nora took the proffered hand. "Nora, and as you heard, a woman trying to find her son."

Piper made a grim face, but nodded her head again, "Yeah, I'm sorry about your boy. Why don't you come by my office, later?" she gestured at a building with a sign of "Publick Occurrences" above it. "Give me some time to get settled in. While I'm at it, you should probably try to get your bearings around here. I have an idea for an article you'd be perfect for and maybe we can figure out where to find you some help in finding you kid."

Nora only gave a nod, but that was apparently enough for Piper, who grinned and ran off to the building she gestured to. Nora noted she stopped and spoke to a young girl just outside of it before heading in. Stretching back her shoulders once again, her stomach rumbled and reminded Nora she had only consumed water and fruit in the past day and a half. With this in mind, she immediately strode to the food stand maned by a lone robot, a battered looking protrectron. After some confusion in the fact the bot could only speak one Japanese phrase, she managed to get a bowl and a dusty Nuka-cola.

The old man on the stool chuckled "Don't mind Takashi, he's been speaking that jibber jabber since anyone here can remember. None know what it is, but he gets his point across and the noodles are the best!"

Nora grinned back at him "They are pretty good, especially after traveling." She finished up the last bit of broth, taking the remaining her cola to go; she wanted to savor the sweet drink, even if it was warm and slightly flat. "By the way, that 'jibber jabber' is Japanese."

The man gaped at her as she walked away. In the Vault Suit with a Pip-boy, he had figured she knew very little and would be shy. In turn she walked with a strong purpose, head held high and eyes filled with keen interest and knowledge. He shook his head at her back, "Not many people like that anymore," and ordered another bowl of noodles.

With one goal in mind, finding her son, Nora didn't stop at the other shops and went immediately to see Piper. After a brief discussion with the girl, Piper's sister Nat, outside the building and being given a free issue of the latest paper as she was a newcomer, she made her way in to talk to the eager reporter.

From Piper she learned people disappearing was becoming more common, and the fact no one was really looking for them was just as common. Piper wanted to help her find her son, and also wanted an interview for her paper. "View from the Vault," she called it. A Vault Dwellers thoughts on the commonwealth compared to her time underground. Nora didn't really want to go over the whole story to Piper, she barely knew her, but she also hoped the woman would have an idea on who might have taken her son, so she reluctantly agreed.

Piper was only given a brief breakdown of what had happened to Nora. The expression on her face in learning Nora had actually not lived in the Vault, but was frozen in stasis the whole time for over 200 years was a mixture of shock and excitement. At the end of her story, Piper asked now compares to it all before the bombs fell.

Nora drifted back to her house when it was brand new with a green lawn. She recalled going to the games with her father in this same stadium and rehearsing for plays in high school and college. "Can you even compare the two? The world out here? It's not even close to the one I left."

"Feeling a little homesick, are we? Can't say I blame you," Piper scribbled in her notepad. "Now last question. You grow up in the Commonwealth, and eventually someone is going to get taken. Maybe not someone you know, but someone. So I want my readers to hear what keeps you going. Maybe they'll find a little inspiration. Now, what would you like to say?"

Every emotion flooded through Nora as she thought over the last month after losing her son and husband. After a couple minutes, her face lifted to meet Piper's gaze full force in fury and pain. "No matter how much you want to give up, don't. You have to have hope you'll see them again. Or at least, that you'll know the truth and find who's responsible, and make them pay."

Piper shifted under that intensity. It was one thing to see someone's anger, but to feel it just from one look was intimidating to say the least. If she hadn't been trying to stop the kidnappings for so long, she would have almost felt sorry for whoever took Nora's kid. "A strong note to end on. I'll take anger over apathy any day. Good quote, Blue. Thanks."

"Why do you keep calling me Blue?"

Piper chuckled while tucking her pencil behind her ear and gestured to Nora's outfit. "Blue Vault suit is kinda noticeable. Wearing it like painting target on your back in some places."

"Oh," Nora glanced down at her dirt and blood stained suit. "I guess that makes sense."

"Well, that's everything for the interview. It's gonna take some time to put this all together, but I think your story is going to give Diamond City plenty to talk about."

"I'm glad I could help. Do you have an idea of where I should start for information on finding my son?"

"Hmm, well Diamond City Security isn't gonna help, whether they want to or not. We do have a resident detective though. You should start there. I can come with if you like?"

Nora didn't know the city or it's people, so it was logical to have a local on her side. "I'd appreciate that. C'mon Dogmeat, let's head out."

Though being called a city, Diamond city wasn't very large at all. It was just a few minutes stroll from Piper's down a back alley to the detective's office door. Passing the neon signs pointing the way, Nora remembered Mama Murphy's words before she left Sanctuary. "You find that heart that's gonna lead you to your boy. Oh, it's... it's bright. So bright against the dark alleys it walks."

"What was that, Blue? I didn't catch it."

"Huh?" Nora hadn't realized she spoke the words allowed. "Nothing, just remembered something I was told."

When there was no answer to the knock on the red door, they entered slowly to find a distraught young woman in a pink skirt shuffling through boxes. "Oh Nick…his ties." Her voice was so worried it was almost painful.

"Uh, excuse me miss?"

She let out an exasperated sigh, mumbling "Another stray come in from the rain. I'm sorry, we're closed"

 _Closed? How can it be too late? It's barely afternoon._ "Look, I know you must be busy, but this is important."

The woman huffed out a sigh rubbed head "You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, but it's just... the detective. He's gone missing"

Piper interjected at this point "Nicky's missing? What has he gotten himself into this time?"

 _Nicky? So his name is Nick Valentine, what a name. Why does it sound familiar?_ Nora shook the thought away to focus on the task at hand. "Do you have any idea how I could find him?"

The woman proceeded to break down his last case tracking down a kidnapped daughter and someone called Skinny Malone. Last she knew, the detective was headed out to their hideout in an old subway station in the Boston Commons. When Nora heard it also contained an old Vault, she had to suppress a shudder when she thought of Vault 111.

With a nod, Nora promised to bring him back. "What's your name, in case he asks how I found him?"

"Oh! I'm Ellie, Nick's secretary. Nick should be easy to spot. He's always wearing that old hat and trench coat getup. Please, hurry!"

They didn't waste any time in leaving Diamond City; the only stop made was made by Piper to speak with her sister quickly on what was going on. After that, the three, Nora, Piper, and Dogmeat, made their way out of town and east further into the old city of broken buildings.

The walk wasn't far and fairly uneventful. Some radroaches were taken down when passing through the old Police Precinct, the damned things were glowing Nora noticed and she curled her lip in disgust.

"I don't think I'm going to get used to bugs being this large," she tossed over her shoulder to Piper.

Piper in turn looked confused "Large, those were small for radroaches," she replied before recalling the prewar age of her traveling companion. "How big were the things before the war?"

Having not personally seen many non-irradiated roaches, Nora wasn't completely sure "Small enough to trap in a cup for the most part."

"Huh! That would be nice. Must be crazy seeing all the things changed by the radiation."

Nora shook her head with a small smile, but pain in her eyes "You have no idea," and they walked on.

After the roaches, they only encountered a couple Raiders before nearing the subway station. Nora almost didn't recognize the old Boston Commons it was so wrecked. _I guess not much in the way of structures survived the bombs._

Piper's voice pulled her out of her thoughts "We're walkin' right into Boston Commons. People don't come back from here."

Nora looked over at her, a question in her eyes. Piper only shook her head and placed a finger in front of her lips to signal silence. Even Dogmeat was moving slow and quiet. Nora followed suit as they round the outskirts of the pond in the center to stop in front of the entrance to Park Street Station.

She ran her hand on the stonework "I used to ride this subway to meet Nate for lunch when I was still in school."

Piper stood a few feet behind living relic of a woman and saw pain and loss and sadness in every movement. "Damn, walking through all of this must be like seeing ghosts for you."

Nora swallowed back the tears and just gave a slight nod. "C'mon, we have a detective to find," and walked down the stairs into the ruins. Dogmeat was at here heels, and Piper trailed after a couple minutes of thought.

The first five men, they looked like old world gangsters thought Nora, went down smooth and she quickly rummaged through pockets and the office for anything of use.

"Really Blue, you have to do that now?"

"One of the first things I learned up here is that the dead have no use for things. I don't like it, but it keeps me alive," Nora shot back while stowing the ammo, caps, and some of the guns she had found. "Besides, look at this little treasure." Nora pulled something out from a shelf in the office she was searching and wiggled it for Piper to see. It was an old, unopened bottle of bourbon. The brown glass was covered in dust, but Nora could see it was a fairly decent type and she tossed it in her bag.

Piper returned the woman's glee with an amused look of her own. "Well, I guess alcohol is always a good find."

Down stairs and section after section they went through the crumbled remains of the station. Nora didn't want to think of each downed man or woman she had taken out. She knew if she hadn't killed them, they would have killed her, but it didn't make her feel better. _That bourbon and I are going to become friends later._

Following the tracks down, they finally came to a gear shaped door. _Vault 114? How many of these were made?_ Nora eyed the dusty yellow letters and struggled past memories she wished were equally covered in dust. It was closed. Piper stood in front of it looking for some sort of handle or button, but Nora immediately went to the connected console and hooked up her Pip-Boy. Within a minute, the lights were flashing, the alarm was sounding, and the door started to role away. Nora inhaled slowly, expelling the air in a rush, and stepped into another Vault.

A few rooms, hallways, and a hole later, the two women and dog inched into a room with stairs to the left leading up to a walkway. There was a man on that walkway speaking to someone through a window. "How you doing in there Valentine? Gettin' hungry?"

Nora couldn't hear the words of the response, but the voice sounded annoyed. At the name Valentine though, she assumed they had finally found their man. _Thank god. I want to get the hell out of here!_

"Three strikes? In the black book? Ah man, I gotta straighten this out!" with those words the man started running for the stairs, right at the party of three already halfway up them.

"Shit!" she muttered under her breath, raising _Nate_ up to fire. Before the sights were fully lined up, Piper's gun fired three times from behind her and the man fell to the ground, three new holes in his chest.

"You looked like you were nearing your limit," was all Piper said at her questioning look. Nora just nodded in response and continued up the stairs.

As she neared the window the voice of the man inside called out "Hey, you. I don't know who you are, but we got three minutes before they realize muscles-for brains ain't coming back. Get this door open." That voice washed over her in a rush of familiarity. She knew that voice, but she couldn't remember from where. It settled in her mind like sunshine on a summer day, all warm and comforting, almost reassuring.

Piper tapped her on the shoulder, holding out a piece of paper from the dead man's pocket and breaking Nora's revere. Apparently the paper contained the password for the terminal that unlocked the door. Accepting the password, she glanced through the window on the way by and almost stalled completely. All she could see was the silhouette of a man in a coat and fedora, and, under that tipped low hat, two glowing yellow eyes. _What kind of man has eyes that glow?_

She shook it off. Piper didn't seem concerned and they needed to get out of this Vault for many reasons. Suffice to say, Nora wasn't very fond of Vaults anymore. The password was keyed in, the door hissed open, and Nora approached the man as he lit a cigarette, the flame of the lighter bringing his face into high relief.

 _Holy shit! What kind of man is this?_ Nora couldn't say the words, something between shock and propriety halted the questions in her throat. His right hand was metal, looking like a skeletal frame almost. The irises of his eyes shone in that heated yellow she previously saw, surrounded by black instead of the normal white. What skin he had was tattered at the edges, most of it missing on his neck showing wires and metal parts underneath instead of veins and muscles. Nora swallowed awkwardly, realizing she was staring.

The man, _robot?_ , smirked at her. "Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel-in-distress scenario. Question is, why did our heroine risk life and limb for an old private eye?"

She stuttered over her words in her hurried replied "You Valentine, the detective? Your secretary, Ellie. She sent me."

"She did? I should give her a raise." Nick marveled at the woman in blue before him. Of all the people he thought might walk through that door, he never expected it would be a petite Vault Dweller full of defiance, curiosity, and fear and looking as though she had just left the Vault itself.

Nora smiled slightly "I'm looking for someone. I was told you could help."

"Okay, well let's get outta here first and then we'll talk. Nice to see you Piper," the detective, Nick Valentine, breezed past her with a scent of cigarettes and motor oil.

Before leaving, Nora saw some old holotapes on the Overseer desk along with a Vault-tec bobble head. Sweeping these into her bag for later, she jogged after him. He led the way down the stairs, through halls and up more stairs. More men were killed, "Triggermen," Piper muttered in disdain and they kept going.

"More stairs? What was this place designed by a fitness instructor?"

Nora chuckled at the detective's comment despite her weariness. In hearing her, he turned his head slightly with a tip of his hat and winked at her. Such a human reaction for a someone who obviously wasn't, it made her wonder more. It was then he stepped around a corner and Nora saw movement before he did. "Look out!" she yelled at him.

He automatically ducked back with amazing speed, narrowly avoiding a baseball bat to the head. The attacker and his friends were quickly dispatched with little effort. "Thanks for the heads up so I didn't lose mind," he watched as she quickly grabbed ammo and other gear from the dead.

She looked up at him with those deep, deep blue eyes. _They're like oceans, so full you could drown in them._ He mused internally, and then she smiled. It wasn't a grin, just a small upturn of the lips, but it was so pretty he couldn't help but return it and barely heard her reply.

"We came this far to get you out of here, I wasn't about to let a baseball bat take you out."

He chuckled at her and rubbed the back of his head "Can't say I blame you."

Piper glanced between the two. She knew they had never met before, but they were very comfortable around each other in the way they spoke and moved it was almost creepy. _Two relics of times gone by maybe? Maybe I should do a story with more focus on pre-war post-war comparisons?_ She shook her head. _Nah, it would just make people depressed._ "C'mon, we should get goin'" she nudged them on.

Before Nora knew it, they were standing in front of the gang leader himself, Skinny Malone. _The detective was right, the name is ironic._ She mused and glanced over at his girl, the one that was thought to have been kidnapped, but had actually just runaway. The girl looked like every other girl who was from a good family and had fallen for the bad boy on the wrong side of the tracks.

"Darla, listen to me. You have a home to go back to. You don't want to throw your life away with these thugs," she spoke softly, looking Darla right in the eyes, holding her attention with a soft expression.

Darla fidgeted, eyes darting around and then her face broke "I... I... You're right! What am I doing? I've gotten all mixed up!"

"Darla? Wh-where are you goin'?"

"Home, Skinny! Where I should have been all this time. This is goodbye for us."

"Oh, come on, Nicky! You cost me my men, now you and your friend cost me my girl?" Skinny's voice whined out.

The detective replied with how lucky he was and somehow negotiated their way out with a ten count leeway. He nodded glanced back at Nora, grabbed her right hand with his left and they ran, Piper and Dogmeat close on their heels. Through the Vault door and into the tunnels, he pulled her to a rusty ladder, pushed her ahead to go up first, and they ascended back to the street. Nora could hear Skinny counting the whole time, but felt the detective's hand in hers, even after he let go.

They all took a few minutes breath after the mad dash and near death, except the detective who apparently didn't get so easily winded. _Does he get winded? Does he breathe?_ These thoughts ran around in Nora's head, distracting her from her actions taken below.

Nora heard the snick of a lighter as the detective lite a new cigarette. _I could use a cigarette right now_. She thought, but pushed it aside remembering how much effort she had put into quitting when she learned she was pregnant, and how much she had hid in the smoke after losing Nate.

"Thanks for the rescue; I had been in there for a couple weeks. Now, you mentioned something about a missing person. No trace of where they've gone."

Nora nodded, worrying the ring on her finger "My son Shaun is missing. He was kidnapped, but I don't know who took him, or where they went."

He seemed to take a moment to process this, adjusting the battered fedora on his head. "Not much to work with, but that's usual in this line of work. I want you to come to my office in Diamond City. Give me all the details. Besides, I think you've earned a chance to sit down and clear your head."

She gave him that small smile again "Okay, I'll meet you there."

With a tip of his hat, a farewell to Piper, and pat on the head to Dogmeat, the detective trotted away, his tattered trench coat whipping in the breeze behind him. As soon as he rounded the corner, Nora collapsed, face in hands, shaking all over and hyperventilating.

"Whoa, Blue! You okay, did you get an injury I don't know about down there?" Piper knelt next to Nora, trying to survey for more than just the bruises and scrapes she could initially see.

Nora's voice sobbed out "I was a wife, mother, and lawyer before all this! How many lives did I just take in the few hours since we left Diamond City? I have seen death before, but never did I have to be the one to deal it before waking up just a month ago. I don't know if I can keep doing this." She had started hysterical, but ended so quiet, so pained, and the end it rocked Piper back.

 _This woman has lost everything and probably feels like the most alone person in the world._ Piper slowly reached out a hand and placed it on Nora's shoulder, so as not to startle her "I don't know how it's all gonna play out, Blue, but I can tell you that you're not gonna do it alone. Okay?"

Dogmeat whined in agreement and stuck his head on Nora's other shoulder. A few shuddering breaths later and a scratch behind the mutt's ears, Nora nodded. "Okay. Help me up?"

Piper grinned and hauled the woman to her feet. "Good, let's get outta here," and she led the way back to Diamond City using the same route they had taken going out since she knew it would be fairly clear.


	8. Closer but Further

Chapter 7– Closer but Further

It was heading into late afternoon by the time Nora, Piper, and Dogmeat walked through the tunnel into Diamond City. Nora's bag was loaded down with all she had scavenged and she desperately wanted to sleep. The urge to find her son was stronger though, so she didn't ask Piper where she could find a place to rest, and proceeded into the Market.

Deciding to at least lighten her load some before all the shops closed, Piper directed her towards the different shops that would be best before splitting off to speak with her sister, Nat. Nora waived her off and was just passing the first stall when the man inside called out to her. "Hey there! You're the new gal in town right? I'm the local barber and you have what I would call the Scavver Special, you can tell from the bits of blood. Please, stop in for a trim and such," though his words were insulting the jolly grin reassured her he was just teasing.

Nora was flabbergasted. She felt dirty and disgusting. Her hair was coated in who knows what and falling out in tendrils from the tight bun she had put it in that morning. "Um, uh," she was fumbling "Uh, sure, but maybe later? I need to be somewhere."

He beamed at her "Sure, sure! Please come by, I'll give you a discount as a first timer!" and he waved her away.

She gazed after him, looking puzzled and not fully able to comprehend what just happened. _I'm too tired, I can't even think straight._ Shaking her head as though to clear her thoughts, she hurried over to the shop called Commonwealth Weaponry. The man who ran it, Arturo, was so calm and friendly it immediately put her at ease. He could tell how overwhelmed everything made her, and not just from the blue Vault suit she still wore.

His eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile while he assisted her, buying all the guns she picked up and their ammo. In turn he sold her ammo for her 10mm, along with shotgun shells to make sure she was prepared when she "needed to deal damage to someone in her face." Nora nodded appreciatively and returned his smile.

After stopping at the surplus store and unloading some other odds and ends, not even paying attention to the bitter words about Synths from the woman who ran the stall, Nora headed for the Detective Agency. She wasn't fully sure what a Synth was yet, but apparently many people in town and in general were afraid of them. After skimming through Piper's latest issue of Publick Occurences, she was able to determine they had something to do with people disappearing and then being replaced with a copy in the form of a Synth.

"Ellie? Are you here?" Nick Valentine called as he entered his agency. It hadn't been a long walk back, but his voice held some weariness.

"Nick, is that you?" Nick smiled at the young woman when she rounded the corner from the back area, looking frazzled in her pretty pink skirt and simple blouse.

"It's hard to mistake this mug for anyone else," he chuckled out.

Ellie swatted him on the shoulder, wincing as it connected with metal instead of the padding of his synthetic skin. "You keep laughing at death and one of these days it's gonna laugh back!"

Just then the Agency door creaked open to reveal Nick's rescuer, the fierce Vault Dweller who looked very scared at that moment. Nick smiled over his shoulder at her, just a slight upturn of one corner of his thin lips "Not as long as I got a few friends to back me up. I don't think we were properly introduced in the whole running for our lives process," he extended his hand, his left Nora noted, the non-metal one "Nick Valentine, Detective and once handyman."

She showed no hesitation or fear and took his hand firmly but gently at the same time "Nora…Isham. Once lawyer and now a woman hoping to find her son."

Ellie nodded and looked about ready to hug Nora "You saved Nick, this agency, and my job. Thank you! I know an amount wasn't on the table when we talked, but here plus a little something extra."

Nora took the proffered sack of caps and, to her surprise, her very own trench coat and battered fedora outfit. Despite the insanity of the day and her exhaustion level, she grinned wholeheartedly up at Nick and Ellie. "Thank you," she said so quietly it was almost a whisper and stowed it all carefully in her bag.

 _For all her fierceness getting my ass outta that Vault, she's dame of many levels._ Her smile caught him again with the force of how it shown through an obviously broken woman. Distantly he heard Ellie speaking and tuned in at the end.

"You know, if you're looking for work, and don't mind putting on the detective hat, Nick sure could use a new partner..."

"Whoa. One case at a time, Ellie. Our new friend needs our help, first." Nick shook himself out of his contemplations and prepared to learn the facts. "All right. Let's get down to business. Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

Nora took a deep breath and sat in the dusty but still comfortable armchair, letting her bag hit the floor with a thud. Nick raised a brow at the sound, noticing with it the high amount of physical baggage she towed around with the emotional.

"When you're trying to find someone who's gone missing, the devil is in the details. Tell me everything you can, no matter how... painful it might be." As Nick spoke, Ellie settled surreptitiously to the side, notepad and pen in hand ready to take notes.

"Yes," Nora swallowed roughly passed the tightness in her through "We're looking for my son, Shaun. He's only a few months old and I have no idea why anyone would take him."

Nick captured her gaze, trying to provide reassurance and comfort as much as his synthetic eyes would allow "That's what we're gonna find. The best way to do that is start at the beginning."

So Nora did. From entering Vault 111 in the year 2077, being put in what she was told were decontamination pods but were actually cryogenics. She spoke of waking to see Shaun's empty pod standing opened, and the two people taking her baby. Her voice choked when described the sound of the gunshot and how she thought it was her son that was hit, the quick shot to the head from the male of the pair. It wasn't until she registered clearly hearing her baby crying, screaming, for his mother.

Nick made few interjections, musings really for Ellie to record down, but he let her speak. He let her get it all out on the table and spread it about so he could go carefully go through the pieces to help her put it back together. The pieces showed organization and careful planning and it narrowed down the possible suspect groups to one, The Institute.

"So you think this Institute is responsible?" there was more in Nora's voice than the question of it being this group, but who this group actually is.

"Well, they're the boogeyman of the Commonwealth. Something goes wrong, everyone blames them. Worst of all, no one knows why they do it, what their plan is, or where they are. Not even me, and I'm a synth myself. A discarded prototype, anyway," Nick shrugged awkwardly, not really wanting to elaborate further. This woman was going through enough with him adding in his origins and pain on top of it.

Nora could see his lack of comfort on the topic, and chose not to press "Either way, I need to find Shaun."

"Exactly, what can you tell me about the two who were in the Vault?"

She closed her eyes, concentrating and bringing the images shakily back to her mind. The outfits of both, their demeanor and how they talked were solid after some concentration. "I'll never forget that voice. Low and rough. Like sandpaper across your face. He came right up to me. Bald head, scar across his left eye and said something about me being the backup."

Nick latched onto the man's description "Wait. It couldn't be... You didn't hear the name "Kellogg" at all, did you?"

Her eyes glazed for a moment, thinking as hard as she could, but shook her head after a moment "No, neither said any names."

His face twisted in thought, eyes narrowed "Hmm... it's way too big of a coincidence. Ellie, what notes do we have about the Kellogg case?" Ellie was already pulling it out of a pile to hand it to him, but spoke before he even bothered to start reading it.

"The description matches. Bald head. Scar. Reputation for dangerous mercenary work, but no one knows who his employer is."

"Yeah, and he bought a house here in town, right? And he had a kid with him, didn't he?"

As Nick wasn't bothering to read the file Ellie had handed him, she snagged it back and thumbed through it "Yeah, that's right. The house in the abandoned West Stands. The boy with him was around ten years old."

Nora's head jerked up from her quiet contemplations "A boy? It's Shaun! ... It has to be... S-somehow..."

Nick didn't look so sure "Don't jump the gun on me. You said you were looking for an infant, remember? That's over nine years difference by my count. Look, maybe he has a son of his own. Maybe it's someone else's kid. Either way, they both vanished a while back," he ran pressed fingers to his forehead as though working out a thought. _Such a human action for someone who technically isn't human._ The thought flitted through Nora's head and was gone when she saw him nod once "Let's you and I take a walk over to Kellogg's last known address. See if we can snoop out where he went."

It was a start and Nora knew it. She rose without hesitation and reached for her bag, but Ellie waived her off "You can leave that here. I'll be locking up to head home when you both leave so it'll be safe."

Nora hesitated, she didn't want to lug it around, but she also didn't want to leave the bag alone. It contained really all of her belongs and the only things of importance to her. Ellie saw the reluctance in the gaze. "If you like, you're furry friend and can stay and guard it for you?" she gave Dogmeat a pointed glance and ruffled the fur behind his ears. He whuffed at her happily and tried to lick the hand in return, but Ellie withdrew her hand to quick and gave the mutt a smirk.

Watching the interaction, Nora nodded and they stepped out into early evening, parting ways. Ellie, making sure Nick had his key, lightly strolled away and Nick led Nora towards a more empty part of the old park. Due to the high walls surrounding Diamond City, everything was in shadows though the sun had just started setting. Looking at the stands she remembered the games attended with her father and saw the roaring crowds overlaid on the scene as though a faded picture.

Nick's voice broke through her memories, the slightly nasal tone surfacing a different familiar comfort "I didn't want Ellie to hear this, but I think you should know. Everything I dug up about Kellogg before his disappearance is bad news. He's more than just a mercenary. He's a professional. Quick, clean, thorough. Has no enemies, because they're all dead... Except you."

That halted Nora for a moment, the Detective noticing the lack of her footsteps immediately turned back towards her, his head cocked silently in question. She said nothing for a moment, wracking her tired brain "I'm the 'backup.' What does that mean? Is that why I was left alive?" Nora raised clenched fists to her skull, needing the heels of her palms in hard desperately attempting to make any type of sense.

Nick could tell she was about to crumble and, with a quick internal debate about propriety, stepped forward and wrapped his own hands around her wrists, firmly bringing them forward in front of her. Nora started and her eyes flew open, revealing another shock to Nick's sensors with their stunning intensity. She didn't struggle from his touch nor did she look angry, so Nick pressed forward.

"Hey now, I wish I could tell you what it meant, but I don't have that answer yet. This is something we're gonna have to take one step at a time. Okay?"

She made no sound, but continued to study the hands of the man in front of her. The grips on her wrists didn't hurt, but instead were strong and so gentle. The skin on his left hand was pale in a grey way and felt just slightly off from human skin to be disconcerting and intriguing all at once. Alternatively his right was stripped bare, not a bit of synthetic skin left on it and all long skeletal fingers and metal joints. Raising her eyes to his face, Nora allowed herself to really study the man, for he was a man no matter the origin of his body, before her. His face was creased with ware from time in the Wasteland, the seams of skin split in places to expose the mechanics within. She knew so little about him, but every fiber of her instincts sensed a familiarity and leaned towards giving him all her trust and she found no reason to argue.

Nick was held in her gaze and released the breath he wasn't aware he was holding when she in turn finally closed her eyes and slowly inhaled. Strictly speaking, Nick didn't need to breath and to tell the truth he only did so due to faded instincts that made him mimic the drawing in and out of air. One thing he did know though, is if did have to rely on air in that moment his head would have been spinning due to lack of oxygen. The pre-war Vault Dweller of a woman had so much swimming in her head and when she gazed at him so directly he could see it trying to spill out. He wasn't sure if it was him or something she did, but she drew it all back into her when she drew in that air and nodded.

"You're right Detective, thank you," her hands relaxed and she allowed them to fall back to her sides, but again did not shake away his touch, seeming to have no issue with the strangeness of the synthetic skin or the cold metal of his skeletal fingers. Her shoulders slumped some and gave him a small smile while gazing up at him. It was then she noticed how tall he was. Nora herself was just around 5'8", but the detective before her had to have been at least six feet tall.

If it were possible, Nick would have sworn he would've been blushing fiercely in that moment. "Um…uh…sure," he was stumbling over his words and internally swearing when he noticed his was still lightly holding her wrists and stepped back running a hand over the back of his head in a worrisome sort of way. "Happy to help," and he offered her an abashed smile in return. "It's…uh…it's just this way," he gestured her onward and again lead the way around the buildings to their destination.

In the shadows of the cramped alley behind them, Ellie smirked at her boss and shook her head. Having forgotten her bag in the office, she had returned to retrieve it and was distracted instead by the two silhouetted at the end of the alley. She hadn't been able to hear the spoken words, but the body language rang loud and clear. Never before had she seen Nick so at a loss and it was not only endearing, but amusing. Nick had taken care of Ellie since she was a little girl, but he had always been alone, Ellie herself being his only real friend as far as she knew. One thing she did know was that she considered Nick her family, and all she wanted for him was happiness, whether he felt he deserved it or not. Giving a shake of her head, Ellie once more turned for home and hoped Nick Valentine, Synth Detective and forever a man keeping everyone at arm's length, would find a way to allow someone close to him.

While turning for home, she paid no mind to the Diamond City Guard she passed. Underneath the old umpire gear and face masks, they all looked the same and this one was wearing sunglasses to boot. Having worked for a detective most of her life, that should have made her pause as it was getting late in the evening and the alley was dark, but to her the guards were a part of the city and she gave a polite smile and went on her way. The guard returned her smile with a nod and strolled onward, the sunglasses allowing him to fully analyze the woman in the blue jumpsuit without seeming suspicious. After the two ahead turned a corner, the guard himself turned in the opposite direction seemingly on patrol.

Nick himself was too busy trying to regain his composure while leading Nora over to the house in the stands to make note of the random guard. Instead he just made sure she stuck with him up the old rusted metal stairs and over the walkway to the shack. It looked like any other shack in Diamond City aside from its isolation. On the front of the door was a large and hefty lock, which Nick eyed suspiciously, knowing his lock picking skill was not up to the task for it.

"That's one heck of a lock... Got something to hide, Kellogg? It's too stubborn for me, why don't you give it a try?"

Nora had been at the railing, gazing out of the ramshackle buildings that made up Diamond City, when he spoke. In her memory she could see the players in their uniforms running the bases and she could smell the popcorn, but Nick's voice broke through those memories. She turned to look over the indicated lock and then back at the detective, shaking her head "There is no way I could get that open without the key. My skills of picking locks stops at the one time I had to pick the lock on the bathroom when my sister was rebelling and locked herself in the bathroom, with the key."

Nick quirked a crooked smile at that thought, knowing even a time as annoying as that must know be as a precious memory to Nora. "Okay then," he nodding his head to another side of the stadium "You see that platform in the distance? Near the city entrance? That's the elevator to the Mayor's office. Why don't you go ask around there?"

She followed his gaze over to the old box above. "I suppose if anyone has the key, it would be the Mayor. Is it likely he'll give it to me?"

Nick huffed out a break, allowing himself to briefly consider his answer, and shook his head "I recommend starting with his secretary first. I'd go, but I'm not exactly welcome up there," his expression spoke volumes as to why he wasn't welcome, even though his words did not. It was astounding to Nora how bigotry still existed in this world and that a man such as this, who helped others, was purposefully kept apart from others. She didn't let her thoughts fill the air though; she could tell he was uncomfortable.

"Okay," she gave a singular nod "It's getting late though, so I should probably do it tomorrow. Perhaps in the morning and hopefully when it doesn't look like rain?"

Considering her words, Nick lifted his eyes skyward to the large clouds above. They were thick and heavy and promised a downpour. Such was the weather in the Commonwealth sometimes that the day had been sunny when had finally made it back above ground but now there was nothing but grey skies for all to see.

"You have a fair point. Come on, we'll grab your stuff from my office and I'll walk you over to the Dugout. It may not be the cleanest or quietest place, but it is the only Inn in town and Vadim is a decent sort, if a bit of a wild card."

She barked out a laugh at his words "Now Mr. Valentine, you're not exactly selling the place for the weary traveler."

His eyes crinkled at her bubbling voice and returned it with another crooked smile. "Yeah, I tend to leave the pleasantries to Ellie for the most part. She's better at putting people at ease," he paused before continuing his thoughts onward, trying not to second guess himself too much. "You can call me Nick, by the way."

He was only a couple feet in front of her, collar of his long coat pulled up while the ragged edges flapped in the wind. He cut a striking figure in the oncoming storm, but she was in no way put off by it and cocked her head thoughtfully before giving a nod and sticking out her hand "As you request Nick. It's nice to formally meet you, I'm Nora," the smile she gave him was slightly impish in the playful and very late introduction.

It was with instinct he raised his hand to hers to play along when halfway there he notice it was her right hand. He stopped, knowing in turn it would be his metal right hand in hers, and was about to retreat it back to his side awkwardly when Nora stepped forward and grabbed it. He couldn't really feel her touch aside to know it was firm, and marveled when not only did she kept hold but brought her other hand up to join the hold. She didn't say anything, but only gave him another smile and let her eyes lock right back onto his.

Nick couldn't back down from those eyes as their gaze told him her actions were not done by chance and that she had no issue about what he was, but only who he was. He swallowed while his processors worked overtime to find his next steps. Eventually he managed to bob his head and stumble out "It's…uh…it's good to meet you too m'am," she arched her brows at him "Nora," he huffed out another puff of air managing to fully gather himself. "I'll do everything I can to find you son."

Barely managing to contain a smirk at his awkwardness, Nora nodded. "I believe you will. Now, show me to this Dugout Inn so I can marvel it myself." She stepped back, gently releasing his hand, and allowed him to again lead the way back to the field.

A quick stop at the agency allowed Nora to collect not only her bag, but faithful canine companion, and then continue on through to the now closed market to the far side near the entrance to the park. Halfway across the field, the clouds finally broke and the rain began first sprinkle and work its way up to a full down poor. There was a slight overhang above the door to the Inn, which Nora noted was what actually used to be one of the old changing rooms, and this is where Nick halted with Nora, shaking the rain from his coat.

"Well, I guess that's one way of getting cleaned up, though I would have liked to have some soap to go with it," Nora mused to herself. "Thank you Detective, Nick. I do really appreciate the help."

Nick was trying to not think of the image she had unintentionally placed in his head and ducked his head in a half nod "Happy to help. It was the least I could do after pulling me out of that old Vault." He gestured to the entrance of the Inn "As I said, it's not the best place, but it is decent enough and you'll be able to get a good rest here." He was turning to leave when Nora's hand snaked out and latched on to his sleeve, halting him completely.

Nora was looking down at her feet, looking so uncertain and more than a little lost that he allowed her to draw him back under the overhang. He couldn't see her eyes, but was able to note the single tear sliding down her cheek, showing clear and separate compared to the dirty rain falling. Nick was the last person to know what to do about tears, but he felt he should do something. Slowly he reached out his left hand to place lightly on Nora's shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. "Hey doll, what do ya need?"

For a few heartbeats she said and did nothing, finally shaking her head vigorously as though tracking to dislodge something. "It's…just…um…it's just been a bit much, all of this and I don't know what is even happening most of the time or how to handle any of it. I keep trying to adjust and all I seem to do is stumble and get lost. I know I'm lucky to have made it this far and I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you, really," her breathe whispered out on the last word as she finally looked up at him, black hair barely in the messy bun on the back of her head, eyes wide and full of terror and hope, and lips turned up into a sad smile. "You have no reason to actually care about my troubles, and I can tell you do, and that means so much to me. So thanks." With that she turned, yanked open the door, and dashed inside. Dogmeat was close on her heels, with a wuff at Nick, and the door was latched shut before he realized it.

Nick stared at the place she had been in shock. His circuits were buzzing and the coolant rushing to help him process. The only thing he could think of was he knew how she felt. Waking in world completely devastated and everything that was normal is nothing but dust. He had been lucky too and he hoped he could help her adjust just like he was helped those years ago. "Anytime, doll." He whispered to nothing. Nick adjust his collar back up, tugged his hat down over his face, and, with a sigh at the pouring rain, dashed back out and back to his agency.


	9. Another Night, Another Day

Chapter 8 Another Night, Another Day

Heart thudding in her chest, Nora allowed herself a deep breath and a moment to collect thoughts and emotions. Before the end of the world, Nora had been an up and coming powerful lawyer where the words of nervous and fear were an entire solar system from her daily vocabulary. Now it was all she felt. From the moment she stumbled her way out of Vault 111 she had known constant terror in every breath, in every waking and sleeping moment. There had been a modicum of safety in Sanctuary, where the idea of sudden death was slightly more distant, but it was still there.

That short walk with the Detective, Nick, she reminded herself, in the rain had instilled a feeling of normalcy that relaxed her in a way which she had almost let go of. It brought in reminiscence as though she was taking a stroll with a newly made friend instead of reeling in the shock of her lost life, world, and everything that made her happy. The crash back to reality at the end of that walk made the pain and loss and fear rush in all new and with it came guilt. Guilt realized from allowing herself to relax, letting thoughts of her dead husband and missing son slip from the for-front of consciousness, and then knowing it could never be what it was.

A crash and sudden cheer pulled Nora's attention back to the dirty hall leading to room of flickering lights. She was exhausted and the last thing she wanted was to have to fight her way through a bar crowd just obtain a bed and maybe some food, but according to Nick this was the only place where she would get both in Diamond City. With a deep breath, Nora forced herself down the hall and towards the noise and dingy lights.

XXXXX

Vadim Bobrov eyed the slim woman in blue as she wavered into his bar. Even in the midst of a mostly made up story he could identify her on site from the talk around town. Not many Vault Dwellers came to Diamond City so when one did, asking about a missing child and rescuing the resident synth detective, words flowed, and those words always flowed to the Dugout Inn. Vadim was often viewed as jokester and light hearted man, but one did not run bar in the Wasteland, even one in a protected city, without learning to be hard, calculating, and observant. His observations of the woman weaving her way around tables and people towards was that she was dead on her feet tired and looked as though she was lost in a fog. When she finally made to the bar and him her own awareness of the surroundings seemed to be kicking in as her expression was now touched with curiosity and concern.

Presenting a large grin and a jovial tone Vadim caught her attention "See this bar? I killed a man for it," when he saw her eyes widen and the expression to change to fear, he knew he had maybe not started off right, but rolled with it despite the glare his brother was throwing him. "Ha ha! No no... I kid... I kid..." Vadim cleared his throat with a slight cough "He is dead, though... Now, let me know when you're ready to order."

Nora just deadpanned at the man in front of her with the thick Russian accent for more than a few seconds. He was heavy set, but still you could see it was only from muscles made from hard work and not a life lived easily. _The Wasteland and remnants of the war have left nothing untouched, it seems._ But the thought was soon gone, drifting across her tired mind and off into the wind. His face was weathered and rough, lines around the mouth showing years of laughter and lines on the forehead showing years of struggle and stress. This world was a hell with death around every corner, but here was a man who was laughing and joking with those around him, making sure the people in his bar were having a good time. It was something Nora could respect if not fully understand where he drew his strength and joviality from.

"I..I uh," she tried to swallow past her dry throat and collect her thoughts. Her exhaustion was reaching the point where words were escaping her. For a woman whose life and career was built on words and articulation, this was not only a bad thing but meant a high level of tired. "I just need a bed for the night. Valentine directed me here."

"Ah yes, the good Detective. Thank you for bringing him back to us. Though many would not admit it, there are more than a few people who would not be here without him." Vadim pointed to a side door where another man who looked like a copy of himself stood. "Talk to my brother, Yefim, he will take care of you." With those words Vadim turned towards a rough and very tall woman demanding another drink. "Yes, yes, I hear you D, the world has already ended so you can wait a couple minutes!"

Nora shook her head at the man's antics and stumbled her way over to his twin. As she finally reached him his face turned from annoyed to slightly interested, but his tone hinted at boredom "Oh, a customer. Need a room? It'll be ten caps."

Taking a moment to register the words, she started fumbling around in her pack, "Of course, I have it here," she dropped the caps into his palm, barely counting them and just hoping it was enough. "Thank you."

Yefim eyed the caps momentarily before handing back the extra she had accidentally included. A movement just behind her caught his attention and caused him to carefully consider the now visible Dogmeat sitting with his head cocked to the side, considering him in turn. "We normally charge extra for animals or make them stay outside, but Dogmeat is welcome here as long as he doesn't ruin anything."

Dogmeat wuffled at him and gave a tounge lolling grin at his words. Nora just looked back and forth at the two before sighing. "Does everyone know this mutt?"

Yefim chuckled at her words "You could say he is a bit of man about town. You are in room two by the way, just through the door. Enjoy."

Shaking her head at the popularity of her canine companion, Nora located her room as directed, closed the door, and leaned against, letting her body slide to the floor with her head in her hands. After a few deep breaths she finally looked at the small space of her room. It was dusty, with stains on the floor, walls, and ceiling, the blankets on the bed were grey and there was no shade on the lamp next to it. What it was though, was just what she needed. It was private, with a lock on the door, and, despite the noise from the bar filtering in, it was quiet.

Dogmeat, concerned with her length of time on the floor, whimpered and stuck his nose in her ear, giving it a good lick just to make sure she was okay. Nora hadn't noticed him incoming "Gaaaah!" she jerked away from him, rubbing the slobber of her ear with a sleeve. "Really? You thought I needed slobber on top of everything else?" The response she got was a big eyed soulful look of a loving pup and another whine of concern.

Her stern defenses crumbled against the weapons of puppy eyes and she huffed out another breath. Kneeling down, Nora wrapped her arms around his furry neck and leaned her forehead against his. For a few minutes all she did was breath in the smell of his fur and letting his sturdy and strong body support her while she processed the day. Being back in a Vault had brought to home the memories of the last Vault she was in, the first Vault she had ever been in, and now that she was not being shot at, or having to keep herself together to clearly dictate the sequence of events that had brought her to this moment, she was finally able to allow the emotional rollercoaster that was the day to wash over her. The near hope of finding someone who might help, and then it crashing down in realizing he too was gone and had to be found and the adrenaline rush of each firefight and grenade blast in the old subway had tired her before even reaching Vault 114 entrance. The rush of terror and panic from the moment her foot stepped through that large gear shaped door almost brought her to the floor until the fighting resumed once again. It was only thanks to Piper she had made it through that mess and that when she had broken down she was able to get back up again.

After a good five minutes of breathing and wallowing, Nora pulled back and gave Dogmeat a questioning look "I guess this is going to be my life now, isn't it?" Dogmeat's reply was to lick her nose. She sputtered at the mutt and scrubbed her face as best she could, glaring at him. "That was not helpful," he grinned at her.

Shedding armor and the top part of her Vault Suit, Nora fell on to the bed, not even bothering with the blankets, and fell asleep instantly. She didn't even notice when Dogmeat, first contemplating the comfort level of the floor, nosed his way on next to her a dozed off himself.

XXXXX

It was just after six in the morning when Nora was woken by hot breath on her face and the plaintive whimper of a dog in need of relief. It didn't fully register to her what Dogmeat needed until she remembered they were inside and there was no way for him to get out. _Good to know he is housebroken…amazing._ She groggily processed through her thoughts, stumbling up and out of the room, dog leading the way, not even bothering to pull her suit up over the dirty tank top she wore underneath.

Once the door to the Inn was open, Dogmeat bolted for an unknown to her corner down the lane and Nora just leaned against the wall, waiting for him to return. Diamond City was completely quiet at this time of the morning. She didn't see or hear another person and the only sound was that of the breeze in the few trees and the creak of rusty metal and old rotted wood. The air was crisp and clean in the early hours, last night's rain having helped in washing the area clean of some of the filth and stench that accompanied it. Nora hadn't wanted to tell, but the site of all these people living in rusty shacks, the constant killing and maiming of one another, and the smells of unwashed bodies and sewage was hard for her to stomach at times. Nora looked down at herself, thinking she wasn't much better than everyone else at that moment. _I wonder where I could get a shower and such?_ It was at that moment that Piper, the woman in question, strolled around the corner and caught her eye.

"Hey there Blue, I was just thinking about you and your story. Had some thoughts I wanted to share."

Nora groaned a slightly, making note of Dogmeat's return from his foray about town "Piper, I'm barely awake enough to process speech, much less actual intelligent conversation. How about a bit later?"

"Okay okay, I guess the presses can wait," Piper chuckled at her and pulled out a beaten pack of cigarettes, lighting one up and taking a deep pull.

Thinking for a moment while watching the cherry on the end burn bright from the intake, Nora worked up the courage to beg one off of her "I don't suppose you'd be willing to share one of those? After the last month or so I could really use something to take the edge off."

Piper raised a brow momentarily, then shrugged and dug the pack back out, tossing it over to Nora. "Didn't take you for a smoker with the whole prewar mom thing and all."

After lighting up and taking the first drag, Nora coughed and sputtered before speaking. "I guess that's another thing you can learn about life before the world blew up, almost everyone smoked, including mothers," she wheezed out and then paused before continuing. "Nate didn't though, wouldn't touch them. I quit not long after we started dating aside from the occasional one or two a month from stress. I stopped all together when I found out I was pregnant." Sadness seeped into her eyes at the memories while her voice drifted off.

Piper shifted awkwardly while the words hung in the air until Dogmeat broke the silence in a sudden bark at a stray cat darting from a hole in the wall and under his belly. While Dogmeat ran off and Piper once again chuckled "I guess since it has been a couple hundred years since your last smoke, I won't tease you about almost dying on the first puff." She took her eyes off the direction in which and the mutt had run off and fully onto Nora. "So what's the plan for the day?"

Nora huffed out a breath once again at her state of feeling disgusting before speaking "Well I have to meet with Nick," Piper raised a brow her use of the first name "in a couple hours, but first I want to get cleaned up. I don't suppose there is anywhere I can grab a shower and maybe get these clothes cleaned?"

Filing the familiar way in which Nora spoke of Valentine for later contemplation, Piper considered "As I'm sure you've seen, extreme cleanliness is exactly a top priority, but there is a bathhouse and such just down the alley near the lake. It's run by Sheng, the kid who runs the purifier, and a couple of his buddies and they'll get your clothes scrubbed up while you clean yourself."

Realizing it was her best and only option; Nora nodded and grinned at Dogmeat's once again return, this time sad due to his most likely inability to catch the offending feline. "Sounds like it will work, c'mon Dogmeat, let's get packed up." It took only a few minutes to stash her armor in her pack and check with Yefim if it would be okay to leave her items in the room until after she was clean.

When she got back out, Piper was gone, most likely off to question another poor individual before they are awake, but Nora got the idea of where to head from their conversation earlier. Taking a right down the narrow alley outside the Dugout, she followed the broken wooden path to a raised metal walkway curving around the old diamond. It didn't take long for it to open up onto the outfield where Nora was amused to find crops had been planted and that due to rainfall and broken pipes there was now a mini lake as well. Over that mini lake was another metal grated platform that had easy access to the large water purifier in the middle. Nora strolled on the walkway to the shack standing on the platform, coming upon a young boy chatting with one of the guards.

"Sheng, what have I told you about keeping the lake clean? Don't make me shut down this little stand of yours," despite the hard tone from the Guard, the kid stood confidently, arms crossed and bald head cocked to the side.

"Every drop of water comes out of that filter 100% pure. Why's a legitimate business man like myself always gotta be hassled by city regulation, huh?" Nora had to hold back a laugh at the words when it reminded her of kids and teens on the Boston streets hustling commuters for change and favors.

The guard shook his head like he was used to the spiel and sighed, "It's a health hazard, Sheng."

"It's a PROFIT hazard, is what I say. I manage the water. And I'll do it without your interference, thank you very much."

Throwing his hands up in frustration, the guard just shook his head, shouting over his shoulder as he walked away "Just get it cleaned up kid!"

The kid, _Sheng_ Nora recalled from Piper's directions and the guard, huffed and turned to address her "Hey there. Purified water. You won't find this out in the Commonwealth."

Nora paused before answering, tilting her head slightly. She had dealings with more than a few of the wayward youths of Boston in her times with the Police and later as lawyer. They all had similarities, but each had to be spoken to with well-chosen words that were specific to that individual without being insulting. "Piper said you're the person to talk to about getting a shower and some clean clothes. Is it just you running this out here?"

He responded with a large gap toothed and proud grin "That's right. Been on my own since I was eight. I'm a fully independent man. Got my own place. Go to night classes. The whole shebang. As for getting yourself cleaned up, Piper pointed you right. Follow me."

Sheng walked her back the way she had come to the other side of the lake. There stood a row of small connected buildings, each with a secure wooden door and an opening to the right of each door. In each little window were wooden boxes that roughly slide in and out. To Nora it all looked rickety and about to fall over, but Sheng looked proud, so she reserved her comments and judgmental expressions for another day.

"Here we are! Each room is a fully set up shower system with okay pressure. I wouldn't say the water gets hot, but it gets warm enough. There is soap and some old towels in there too." He thumped the box next to the door with his small fist "Drop your clothes in there and push the box out, I'll take them to get washed and dried, they'll be ready when you are. It'll be twenty caps for the whole mess, deal?"

Nora looked back out to the lake, and then back at Sheng "I don't know, what was that guard saying about keeping the water clean?"

Sheng was waving her words away before she even finished the sentence "That was nothing, the purifier cleans the water clean and I keep it working. What he was all bunched up about was the stuff in the water before it hits the purifier. You won't believe the junk people throw in there. Overloads the filters. You wouldn't be interested in helping clean it out, would ya?"

She had to admire the kid's confidence and way of speech and shook her head in amazement at how a child like this, with nothing that came from one of the worst lives that could be imagined, could be so strong and confident. "It's a tempting offer, but I'm already engaged for the day. How about I come back later and we will work out the details? As for the shower and clothes, you got yourself a deal."

"It's good to know there are some industrious-types around! You got yourself a deal," he stuck out his small and grimey hand to shake on it and Nora happily accepted with a firm and businesslike grip.

XXXXX

Within an hour Nora has scrubbed off most of the dirt and blood from body and hair and was pulling on a mostly dry Vault suit. Even her bra and underwear were almost back to the light blue they previously were at. Though she was slightly embarrassed at the idea of a 12 year old boy handling her undergarments, she was more grateful to be in clean clothes once again. There was a slightly shattered mirror in the shower room and in it she was able to fully see her scrubbed face, free of prewar makeup and dirt, and the person looking back almost looked like a stranger.

Gone was the put together woman who marched through years of schooling to graduate at the top of her class three years younger than everyone else in her class. Her eyes were still sharp and calculating and her hair still long and thick, though maybe not quite as lush as before, but behind the intelligence was now the gaze of pain and longing, and deeper down and intense anger. The time with sporadic meals, little sleep, stress, and a whirlwind of emotions had made her shed any remaining weight leftover from the pregnancy. Her face had thinned out, making her cheekbones more prominent and stretching the skin across them. So much time in the sun had made her skin darken slightly, but the burst of white around her eye stood stark against it all. Nora recalled all the years of covering it up with her hair and with makeup just to avoid the staring and the questions and the judgements. There was a time she hated it, then she learned to deal with it until she had almost allowed it to really become a part of her and accept it, and now, now she had no choice. There was no more covering it up as there was no more makeup, and there was no hiding behind her hair as it would hinder her ability to fight and defend herself. It would prevent her from finding her son.

Judging the woman in the mirror, Nora knew she was stranger to herself in more than looks. Her actions, her choices, since stumbling out of Vault 111 had altered her view of people dramatically. Before the bombs the idea of killing someone in any situation did not make sense to her. She had always relied on her ability read people and use intelligence instead of force to invoke a good outcome. Now though, it was a tooth and nail fight daily just to make it out alive and she had long since stopped counting those she had put down. Logically she understood she would not be alive if she had not retaliated, but in made her ache to think of them. It made her sick to see their faces in her thoughts, in her dreams. Nora shook her head violently, trying to dislodge the train of thought that would get her nowhere. This was not the time to reflect on the dead, but to concentrate on finding her son. She gave her reflection one last hard look and exited the little shower shack.

The sun was peeking over the top of the stadium, letting her know she had spent more time than she wanted in the shower, but it was something she also knew she needed. With this in mind she shook off some of the worry and made her way through the metal shacks through the market to contemplate the lift to the mayor's office. Nora wasn't really the most fond of heights, and the mayor had in turn set of sleazeball alarms in her brain, but it was best to be on the good side of those in charge when new in town and breaking into homes did not meet that goal.

Passing by the barber shack, Nora noted John was just setting up for the day. She had left her hair down after the shower to let it dry, and it hung in wet heavy waves nearly to her thighs. It was a hassle to keep up and out of the way and there was no way she could leave it flowing free while out of Diamond City, but she didn't just want to chop it all off. Nora wrinkled her nose while contemplating different length and style options. _I'll stop by and see what he can do after getting the key_. The decision was quickly made, not wanting to put off the visit much longer or risk going there with something horrid or off putting.

With a determined stride, Nora marched up the ramp leading to the lift, once again studying its sturdiness. Obviously it was used constantly on the daily, so logically there was reason to worry about her falling to her death, but there were rare occasions when logic did not win the argument in her head, and this was one of those times. Blowing out a hard puff of air, she eased her way on to the platform, freezing when her canine companion jumped on after her and made the whole thing shake. She allowed her pulse to return to normal, glaring at Dogmeat the whole time, and jabbed the button to go up quickly before she could change her mind.

It squealed in protest and waved back and forth in the air as it rose, but it rose steadily and slowly. To take her mind of the growing distance between her and the ground, Nora chose to look over the view that was Diamond City in the morning. Thanks to the rising lift, she wasn't able to catch any of the stench of sweaty people and garbage, and rising sun gave everything a softer cast. It looked peaceful and pleasant and it made her understand why there were so many people living here. It made her realize that comparing anything of the current to the world before the bombs was unfair and unrealistic. The world was devastated and those left rebuilt with what they had and how they could. Considering all of that, Diamond City was amazing even if it was really more like a refugee shanty town than a city.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by the hard clunk of the lift settling in front of what was once Fenway Park's Announcer's box and offices. Now it was filled with dusty file cabinets, broken furniture and one still intact desk at which sat a small framed blond woman. She wore a tidy white blouse, straight and well pressed brown trousers, and currently an expression pinched with annoyance due to the presence of Piper haranguing her with question after question.

"Why doesn't the mayor come out of his office, huh? He afraid of talking to the press? I bet if I said I was with the Institute, he'd come running…" the secretary cut her off with a huff of exasperation.

"You ever think maybe you could get a man's attention easier if you used softer words, honey? Maybe shout a little less?"

Piper cocked her head back at the suggestion, allowing a half smirk to spread "Ah, that reminds me of this article I'm writing about the mayor's affair with a certain air-headed, blonde…"

It was then the secretary fully noticed Nora's arrival and latched on to her like a life line "If you are done crowding the reception area, Miss Piper, the Mayor needs to make time for more... responsible citizens."

Piper glanced back and grinned at the sight of Nora, but gave the secretary a scowl "Hmph. I was just leaving anyway," she strolled over to her, hopefully, new friend. "Hey Blue, what brings you up here?"

Nora managed to resist rolling her eyes at the nickname bestowed on her and return Piper's smirk with a wry smile of her own, crossing her arms and leaning against the window frame "Need to see the mayor about something."

In turn Piper did not stop the heavy eye roll at the vague response "Really? You came to the mayor's office to see the mayor? Who'd have thought?" she waived the words away and chuckled "Fine. Keep your secrets. Sooner or later, I'll find out. I always do."

"I guess we shall see, and what are you doing here?" mostly Nora just wanted to poke at Piper for being nosy, but she was also curious.

Predictably Piper denied the attempt "Nah-ah, not until it's in print. You can read all about it in the next issue," she stepped comfortably on the life, patting Dogmeat on her way by, and casually waved goodbye. "See you around, Blue!"

Nora envied the way Piper comfortably leaned against the railing of the lift, no fear or discomfort evident in the posture. She took another look at the view of the town below and turned back to the woman at the desk, ready for the next step in the long road of finding Shaun. The woman had been studying the interaction between Piper and Nora, and didn't look too pleased at how friendly they were. Her shoulders were squared and her gaze wary as Nora calmly walked over with a light smile and open stance, drawing out long learned skills at keeping people at ease.

"Hello, I need to talk to someone about Kellogg's old house in the West Stands," she had tried to halt it, but knew some of the strain and worry of the situation had crept into her tone.

Evidently the secretary had noticed and cocked her head to side slightly, relaxing some but still on guard "Mister Kellogg's residence? He left town a while ago. We foreclosed on the property and locked it up."

Nora nodded her head in thought "Hm, okay. Miss…?"

"Geneva," the woman provided, allowing a smile at the politeness that put her more at ease.

"Geneva, who do I talk to if I need to get key to that house?"

"Well honey, you'd have to ask the Mayor directly if you want the keys. He's set aside time to talk to petitioners all day. You can find just through the doors behind me. Best of luck."

The last thing Nora wanted was to speak with the overly pompous leader of Diamond City again "I don't have time. I need that key," she paused in hope. "Can't you help me yourself?"

Geneva settled back in her chair, adjusting her carefully cut and styled hair, "And if I could, why should I?"

Nora knew she was starting to sound desperate, and she didn't want to, but she wasn't able to stop it, "Please, all I want to do is find my son. The man who owned that house kidnapped him." The words almost stumbled out even though there was no proof it had been this Kellogg who had kidnapped Shaun. It was the only solid lead she had though, and she was going with it full force.

Apparently something clicked, because Nora saw the empathy for the situation flit across Geneva's face "You do seem like a sweetheart," a small sigh drifted past her lips "All right. I'm just going to leave this key on my desk and 'forget' I put it there," she shuffled in a drawer to produce a large brass key and casually dropped it on the desk while looking away to shuffle papers around.

Nora released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and slowly picked up, barely believing that had worked so well. She whispered a thank you, not wanting to draw any additional attention, and turned to leave. Just as she stepped on the lift, she heard Geneva speak quietly from behind "Your baby's lucky he has a mother like you. I hope you find him."

XXXXX

It was just after nine that same morning when Nora once again stepped outside of the Dugout Inn. She had been so excited at retrieving the key she had almost marched straight through the market to go through Kellogg's house on her own. Thankfully logic had won out when passing by the salon. John the barber had called out to her, breaking her thoughts with the offer of a discounted haircut.

Nora had only debated for a moment before agreeing much to John's glee. Her hair was mostly dry and now that it was clean it was most likely the best time to get it trimmed. She and John had spent a good ten minutes in debate before any cutting implement was allowed near her hair. She wanted to keep her hair long, due to stupid vanity she knew, but there was so much of it that it was hard to keep out of the way. Hair thinning agents weren't really something that existed anymore, so creative cutting had to be the solution. She had been nervous sitting in the chair after a deal was struck and the sound of the clippers buzzed to life. Instead of jumping up and running in fear, Nora closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and let the man work.

John had only let her look in the mirror when he had finished. Everytime she had asked for one before or tried to give him a suggestion, he had politely told her to shut up and returned to the task at hand, his mother chuckling nearby the whole time. Nora huffed out a deep breath and opened her eyes, expecting the worse. Instead she was greeted by such a fearsome sight in the mirror that she was startled to see was herself. John had cut and shaved about two inches on either side of her head smooth, leaving a large strip of hair in the center that trailed down to her waist instead of thigh. It was then she noticed how much lighter her head felt and the piles of hair, her hair, on the ground around the chair.

Slowly Nora reached out and grasped the offered hand mirror, angling herself so she could see the back of her head in the reflection of the mirror on the wall. It was similar to a thick mohawk, she noted, with the thickness of the remaining hair done up in high warrior braid that could easily could be tied up on the back of her head or coiled around her skull like a crown. John had looked slightly nervous when he told it was a variant on a style called "wasteland princess" and he had felt it would work best for what she wanted. She considered the name, and nodded carefully at first, then once more in certainty, paying him the owed caps with a large grin and thank you.

She hadn't heard John's mother mutter to him as she walked away "You got lucky on that one Johnny. She looked like she was ready to bolt the whole time."

John waived the words away "That was the most beautiful hair I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I'd go through it all again in a heartbeat."

Nora adjusted her bag on her hip, double checking her makeshift armor and weapons, making sure everything was in place. She patted the side pocket of the bag, checking for at least the tenth time that the key was still there, and set off down the alley and back through the market to meet up with the detective, her thick braid bouncing on her back.

Though called Diamond City, it only took Nora about five minutes to navigate her way through the small crowd of people in the Market and to the other side. Strolling once more down the narrow alley to the agency, gazing up at the neon red sign advertising her destination. It puzzled her once more, racking her brain trying to bring to those distant bells to the forefront. The presence of Detective Valentine in that battered fedora and his reserved manner brought her back to working in police stations. She was still trying to chase down the rest of a memory when she reached the battered metal door. With little grace she shook the thoughts from her mind and opened the door and announced her entry.

XXXXX

Synth Detective Nick Valentine was reading over an old case when he heard the latch on his door creak. The old newspapers, note scraps, and notepads were all faded with age and creased from repeated use, as though they had been looked over hundreds of time with no resolution. He traced a thumb over the corner of a faded photo, giving a bitter smile to the lovely woman smiling back at him, before placing it all back in a large accordion folder on his desk.

"Detective Valentine? Are you ready to head out?" Nora called from the door as she entered. She sounded more energetic than yesterday, and more stable as well, which was good as it meant he could prep her for any pitfalls along the way.

"Sure doll, just wrapping up a few things," he didn't turn and she walked up a few steps behind him, but could hear her and Dogmeat pause easily with no sense of unease.

"Doll? I haven't been called that in a while. I didn't think anyone now still talked like that," he could hear the smile in her voice, knowing she wasn't insulted, but he still felt the need to apologize.

"Yeah, sorry," finally turning towards her as he stumbled the words out "Old habits in old programing die hard I guess," he rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly as he finally looked up at her, and everything stuttered to a stop.

She glowed in the dim light of his dingy office. Skin pale and scrubbed clean and hair pulled back into a long braid that currently hung over her shoulder. In her mismatched armor, sturdy boots, and with 9mm at her hip and shotgun on her back she looked ready for battle, but the piercing gaze of intelligence in her eyes, and the small smile on her lips caused his processors to hiccup and thought patterns to fog over. A memory of a ghost washed over him with recognition.

XXXXX

" **Detective Valentine? I have those cases you were looking for, and some papers for you to sign as well."**

 **Nick Valentine looked up from the pile of papers before him and ran his hands through his thick black hair, further messing it up, before locking his grey eyes on the woman in his doorway. He knew who she was, they had spoken once or twice before, but it was always clipped on her end before she was on to the next task. Everything about her was clipped, severe he would almost say. Not a strand of hair out of place, perfect white shirt, straight as an arrow black pencil skirt, and pristine black stockings flowing into short heeled pumps.**

 **Most women who worked in the station were secretaries or phone board operators, but this woman was neither. She was booking to a lawyer and was interning in the station. This did mean several secretarial duties, but it also meant working closer with the officers and detectives in all parts of the law.**

" **Sir?"**

 **Her voice brought him out of his thoughts and he realized he had been staring. A hand reached up to rub at the back of his head as he sheepishly responded "Sorry doll, got lost in thought," she was easy on the eyes despite the cool expression and slightly lifted brows in judgement. Her eyes were a shocking blue hidden behind a pair of black rectangle spectacles. Though dressed for business, Nick had always thought she seemed ready for battle in the few other times they had spoken. Her stance was strong and gaze unnerving in how it quickly analyzed the people around her.**

 **Nick shook his head and blew out a breath "Thank you Miss Falkenrath, just put them on that table please. I'll have to go through them later." he gestured vaguely to a near table piled with even more papers and files and knew he would be working long past his scheduled shift end.**

 **Miss Falkenrath stared dubiously at the unsteady stacks "I can assist you with organizing this if you like? My shift is near end, but I have nowhere else to be."**

 **He mulled it over momentarily, his gaze guarded "I don't know, this is a large case and a grizzly one at that, you sure?"**

 **If possible her spine straightened more and she almost looked insulted, until a small smile touched the corner of her lips and those blue eyes warmed slightly "Are you questioning my resolve or my ability to clean this mess? Besides it will be good preparation when I have my own piles of paperwork to swim through."**

 **Nick found those upturned lips catching his gaze and with effort he brought it back to her eyes instead. He once again considered the case and the woman before nodding "Alright, but no complaining," and he offered his own crooked grin back at her, eyes crinkling at the edges.**

XXXXX

"...all right? Detective? Nick? Are you okay," the voice was tight with worry as the room faded back into focus around him. She was closer to him, concern on her face and tight line between her eyes. He wanted to reach up and smooth it out, but he couldn't move yet. It was then he caught her scent. A hint of soap and sweat and sunlight. He could almost feel the warmth on her skin.

"Nick, please speak to me, are you okay?"

He closed his eyes slowly to allow his processors to reset and huffed air out of his mechanical lungs. Though he did not need to breathe, the habit of it carried over from the presence of the pre-war cop that was always with him. Allowing one more moment to steady himself, he gave a short nod and opened his eyes, incidentally locking eyes with Nora. He almost got caught up again, but fought the rush of it back, instead focusing on the mark around her left eye.

He sensed he had seen it before, long ago, but it hadn't been visible last night in the dim light under the hardship of the days she had been through. Now though it was bright patch of white lighter than the rest of her skin. Nick couldn't help but think it looked almost like a star. It was then he realize he was staring and looked away, stepping back.

"Uh...yeah. Sorry about that, sometimes something stalls up and I have to get it all cleared out. I'm good. We should get going," he bumbled through the sentence, not wanting to have to dwell on the visit from the past or actually explain what happened.

Nora frowned and pursed her lips, obviously wanting to question him further, but it wasn't her place and she knew it. Instead she nodded her head, adjusted her bag, and let Nick passed her, a sent of oil and cigarettes drifting with him. When he yanked open the door and called back to her, she once again had a feeling of familiarity in seeing his silhouette in the light. She felt as though she had known him for much longer for a day, but had no idea how. Nora once again shook the thoughts away and jogged after him, letting the door slam on the room full of memories.

It wasn't a long walk from the agency to Kellog's last known residence, but Nora couldn't recall a time when she had be so nervous while walking to a house. She hadn't even been this nervous on her wedding day. The climb back up those metal stairs seemed much longer and harder than the previous day and Nora was having difficulty controlling her nervous breathing. There, just a few feet away now, was the door to answers, and now she had the key. She couldn't move.

Nick was eyeing Nora the whole walk over, noting her glazed eyes and heavy breathing. To a detective's sharp eye, she looked ready to bolt and collapse all at once. When they made it to the shack entrance and she stopped moving, Nick decided to break the tension lest they wait all day "Hey there, you doing okay?"

Nora didn't, couldn't, answer right away. She slowly turned her gaze on him, but instead of seeing the mechanical visage of the man before her, she saw a different face, one of flesh and blood, overlaid on the detective's. Many of the feature's and expressions were the same. Grey eyes tired from work, skin pale from hours pouring over paperwork, and the slight frown of concern all matched Nick Valentine the Synth Detective, but to Nora they also matched to another man she knew once, long ago, and the memory was digging it's way back up in a near painful manner when the words he spoke echoed the past.

"...hear me, doll?" new words broke through and shattered the rising tide of emotion. She was thrust back to the presence and nearly toppled from the force of it. As her stance wavered, Nick rushed to catch her, barely keeping her upright and causing her to lean heavily on his shoulder. "Nora! Talk to me! Tell me what's going on in there, please?"

It took more than a few minutes before Nora evened out her breathing and slowly righted herself "I...I'm not sure honestly," it was a hesitant response "I feel as though what's on the other side of the door could hold all the answers or nothing at all and I don't know which I hope for more and things from over two centuries ago seem to colliding with now and I can't make sense of anything!" the words flew out in a steady stream, no pause for air was allowed in the expelled confession of confusion. She wasn't looking at him anymore, but down at her clenched fists, knuckles white with tension.

Nick Valentine, a mechanical synth body with the memories and mind and heart of a human man, slowly digested her words and how the reality was hitting her. He couldn't help but relate to the feelings of loss and anger and much more besides, but he also knew it didn't help much in the current situation. As though reaching for a wild animal, Nick tucked a finger under Nora's chin and made her raise her face back up to meet his. "I know what you are going through, more than anyone you will meet I know," his voice was steady and low, keeping eye contact the whole time. "One of these days I'll tell you the whole spiel, but right now there are answers on the other side of the door, whether they are the ones you are hoping for or not. No matter what those answers are, they bring you a step closer to your boy, okay?"

Nora couldn't look away from those piercing yellow eyes, though she still somehow say the grey ones over them in her mind. He was calming her, grounding her, she knew it was what he was doing. She had used this same process herself on clients and witnesses, but it was still oh so effective. One breath in, and then out, and her mind seemed to settle back into her body. "Okay, I'm ready." In one smooth motion she drew the key from her bag, inserted it into the lock, and turned it until the bolt clicked its release. The door swung open.


	10. The Long Road

Chapter 9 The Long Road

To say that Nora was underwhelmed by the small space of Kellog's home would have been and understatement. It was small, dusty, and dark. Containing nothing but a battered desk and old furniture with stairs on the fars side leading to what seemed to be a loft, the one room shack did not meet her expectations. _What was I expecting? Blood and gore and weapons all over the walls? I don't even know._ Nora huffed out a breath in exasperation with herself and finally managed to step inside the gloom, carefully watched by Dogmeat the whole time.

Nick himself was more realistic in his thoughts of Kellog's base. He had kept tabs on Kellog on and off throughout many years. The man never left much in the way of evidence and always kept to himself. Due to his appearance and obvious look of a mercenary, most folks let Kellog keep to himself. Nick knew Kellog travelled not just throughout the Commonwealth, but across all the wastes on jobs, but he always seemed to rotate back to the 'wealth, and Nick didn't know why. With that much traveling, Kellog was a man who didn't carry much with him, this also meant there was little to leave behind and harder to track.

Nora hadn't noticed the Detective hadn't fully stepped inside the shack yet, but she was too focused on catching any sign of a child, her son, having been here. It was only a few steps to the back of the room and another few up the ladder like stairs but Nora took them slowly, trying not to miss anything. _This place is hardly big enough for a man, I can't imagine more than that being comfortable or content here for long._ As she stepped foot onto the landing, she heard the heavy footsteps of Nick fully entering below her, but it was muted to her in her sudden distraction. Her eyes were not focused on the bed with a frame, or the beaten dresser, but instead on the mattress on the floor next to which were toys. A red rocket and a purple alien. Nora was taken back to the last time she held her baby, and the spinning mobile of red rockets while Shaun giggled and wiggled in her arms. As her memory reached to spin the mobile once again, Nora's own trembling hand reached out to grasp the small rocket toy.

This is how Nick Valentine found her when he made it up the stairs. She was kneeling on the ground, clutching the toy and allowing quiet tears to fall down her face. It was a wrenching site of a broken woman, and if that woman was to rebuild herself, Nick had to push her onward through more pain and heartache. He didn't approach at all, but stood at the top and gently spoke, hoping to not startle her. "Hey there, doll. I'm gonna need your eyes on this too,"

A rough intake of air was the first sign she had heard him. A slow nod was the second. As she stood her hands fell limply to her sides and the toy fell to the mattress. One more inhale and Nora scrubbed at her eyes. "Okay. I'm ready." the voice was rough, but the words and tone was strong and she rotated to catch his eyes.

Nick pulled a crumpled pack of smokes from a hidden pocket and slid out one for himself. As he was putting it to his thin lips he caught her look of wanting. A small smirk played at one corner of his mouth as he tossed the pack to her, followed by his lighter after lighting up. Watching her place the butt between her lips and inhale deeply, Nick found himself slightly envious of the cigarette, but only slightly.

Once they had both allowed for a moment to gather themselves, Nick plodded back down the steps, gesturing her to follow. "This place seem a little small to you?"

XXXXX

Kingsley stared at the entrance of Diamond City with absolute boredom. There were many things Kingsley disliked, and near the top of that list was waiting. Another was being stared at by men holding guns while they pretended to not be staring at her. _They are doing a shit job on their rounds and even shittier one regarding me. Where the hell does McDonough find these asshats?_ At least three of the guards knew her, or knew who she was, one of them knowing her well enough to leave her alone. The others were on edge in a bad way.

With a stretch and a yawn, she adjusted her perch on the left shoulder of the statue in front of the old stadium, wiggling as the ear poke her uncomfortably in the crotch, and draped her arms over the stone head. _Fucking hell, I'm getting twitchy and my stash is low. Knew I shoulda snagged more from Hancock when I had the chance._ Knowing those she was waiting for would be exiting soon, Kingsley gave a stretch and in her mind saw the silly dog loping out towards her, tongue lolling canine excitement. When a bark of laughter escaped through her lips every guard in the vicinity jumped and whirled towards her, guns pointed with precision. When the laughter turned maniacal and flowed onward continuously, each began to shift with worry and fingers twitched.

One guard came around the from the stadium's old concessions stand and sighed at the sight, dark sunglasses glinting in the bright sun. With careful steps around each stationary guard, he made it up to the green baseball player and nudged her foot a few times with an old baseball bat. "Hey there Kingsley. Did you wander off to Wonderland again?"

The laughter stopped as suddenly as it started. Kingsley's spine went ramrod straight and her head crooked to the side. For more than a minute she held that position, eyes wind and light smile painted on it. To those far away she seemed to be staring at nothing, but the man just below, he knew she was seeing everything. A few twitches later and all support flowed out of each limb and back she went to being draped across the statue in ragdoll position.

A low chuckle sounded when she noticed the guard still at her dangling feet. "Hey there D, what you spooking about here for?" though she couldn't see behind his glasses, she knew his eyes narrowed at her recognition. "Oh, come on D! You know you can't hide from me!" she was still laughing, almost giggling now.

His shoulders sagged slightly, barely noticeable, and he allowed a chuckle to join her's "Kingsley. The girl who could never fail to oust me in any time or place and who I early debate kicking off my Christmas card list."

"You would never do such a thing, whether I fully know what that means or not," she had started swaying to one song or another that only she could hear. "Now off with you to plotting and watching and leading people along without them ever seeing the halter. I have plans that I know you don't want to be here for."

There was really no arguing with Kingsley, ever, no matter the mood or anything else. The woman didn't have trains of thoughts, but constant collison courses and fiery explosions all wrapped up in a dizzying haze of smokes and chems. The man in guard garb new this well and waved his farewells to her. Kingsley watched him leave off to the East side of Diamond City. She knew if someone bothered to look they would find a Diamond City Security outfit hidden in one of the old cars in the nearby junkyard, but there would be no sunglasses in the pile.

A happy bark sounded from the Stadium entrance and Kingsley turned her gaze towards it with a grin. Just as earlier envisioned, out bounded the happiest German Shepherd around, the guards happily back at their routine rounds, and behind the mutt jogged two human shaped figures. The female of the pair was looking at her curiously and with a certain level of something between astonishment and offense at her position on the hundreds of years old statue. The male in turn gave her a wary gaze as he seemed to be resisting the urge to pull out a smoke Kingsley knew were deep in one of those trench coat pockets of his.

"Hey there, Nicky," she was still swaying to unheard music with large grin on her face. " I heard on the wind you were stuck somewhere dark and deep. Yet by the time I get here the guards are all in a mutter of the pretty lady who came to your rescue." Kingsley leaned forward to peer closer at Nora. So forward in fact that she toppled right off the statue's shoulder and towards the near eight foot drop to the ground.

In some unknown way involving acrobatics, Kingsley tucked her too thin body into a roll as she hit the bricks and within seconds was upright directly in front of Nora. Some would say uncomfortably close to Nora as their noses were almost touching. All Nora could see of her from atop the statue was a woman with a tangle of unnecessarily long blonde hair, dirt covered skin, and eyes hidden by some strangely mechanized welding goggles. Her limbs were long and delicate to the point she seemed frail and all covered by tight black leather.

Now in close proximity Nora could see the thinness was not just a trick of distance and angle. Hollow cheeks, pointed chin and nose, and veins that could almost be seen through the skin in certain areas all spoke to a severe lack of food. When Kingsley raised the goggles to rest on her forehead to look at Nora directly, eyes of such a pale blue they could almost be light grey were revealed. Those eyes were wide and held stiff, almost glazed, and underneath them were circles so dark they could be bruises.

Kingsley chuckled at the pretty Vault Dweller in front of her, a large grin spreading across her face. "My you are interesting. You watched it all burn down and oh my….oh my the fire will follow you and proceed you." Kingsley lurched further in, bumping noses with Nora and pressing their foreheads together, grabbing her shoulders to prevent her from retreating. "What you are looking for will not be what you expect, and what you expect will evade you till the very end. Keep close contact with your past, maybe you'll survive your future."

Nick pulled Kingsley off of his client, placing himself between the two to allow for recovery on both sides. "C'mon girl, back down to earth with ya," he rested both hands on either side of her face, gently angling her in to rest lightly against his chest. She hung not unlike a limp doll in his arms.

Kingsley heard the gentle whir and moving parts of mechanics coupled with near human sounds of the internal workings of a body. There was only one body that sounded like that and it had long been a comfort for her, thus her reaction was to let reality wash back over her without a panic. As everything resettled, the twitching resumed with a force, starting in her fingertips and working up through each muscle into neck and face. Nick held her the whole time until he felt the twitching start to subside, he knew it wouldn't fully go away, and gently stepped away, taking care to make sure she would not fall.

Swaying gently side to side, Kingsley looked up at Nick, once again grinning ear to ear. "Nicky, I have an important question. When did I get down to the ground?" before he could answer she waved the question away. "Nevermind, nevermind...we all have things to be and places to do. Wander, wander, wander, off we go."

She more drifted away than walked, heading off East to walk around Diamond City. Nick didn't bother to stop, correct her, or ask about what she said. He knew better than most from long experience it wouldn't do him any good. He was about to turn back to Nora when Kingsley once again called out to him.

"Nicky! For your databanks and as a man of gathering knowledge, Fish is back in town. Thought you might want to know considering where you are heading."

He nodded slowly in response, considering the information "Does Dee know?"

Kingsley was once again dancing to music only she could hear "Of course, but she's off running an errand for Abbot right now. She'll be at the usual place when you later need her," and then she was gone.

There was no chance to ask a question or even run after her, there never was. Nick Valentine, Synth Detective, instead turned his attention back to his client and hoped she would not ask too many questions.

XXXXX

Nora was racking her brain trying to figure out the words of the strange woman. Along with it the out of character actions of the normally awkward and slightly reserved Detective. In a reasonable mind, Nora could tell a drug addict when she saw one. That along with signs of mental instability and physical health issues told Nora she shouldn't even be considering anything coming from the walking scarecrow that just wandered off. _What she said though, it fit too well in some places and raised questions in others._ Nora was so caught up in translating riddles and ramblings that she didn't immediately notice the Detective trying to garner her attention.

"Hmmmm? Yes...sorry Detective, Nick. I was distracted."

In turn, Nick huffed out a breathe in the direction of the hopefully fully departed Kingsley and shook his head. "I don't blame you, Kingsley has that effect on people."

He wasn't looking at her, obviously so "You seem to know her quite well," she saw his shoulders tighten slightly.

Nick mulled over his response and absentmindedly rubbed at the back of his head and neck. "Yeah, Kingsley's been around for a while, but that's something for a different time." He finally looked up to meet her eyes "We should get going before the day leaves us, doll."

The evasion was obvious and pained, full of personal memories that were not ready to be discussed. In light of that, Nora nodded and pulled out a half smoked cigar from her bags side pocket, holding it out for Dogmeat's sensitive nose "C'mon boy, show us where this San Francisco Sunlight leads."

Two heavy snuffles, more than a few renditions of spinning in circles, and Dogmeat took off with a yip. His course was the South road away from the stadium and Nora and Nick had to run to keep up.

XXXXX

Atop a mostly blown out building Kingsley smiled after them, a soft wistful smile instead her standard ear to ear grin. The sight of them running down the road was overlaid by her own mental image of the same pair huddled down while being gunned down. Just glimpses of speeding bullets, broken machines, and red. She knew where they were heading though, the exact when of the events was always the question.

Kingsley shook the images away to instead see a man in a red coat stretched out on a ratty couch. A hand missing skin and covered in burns and scars raised a dirty inhaler to thin lips for a strong pull. As the figure adjusted the old world hat to cover his eyes, Kingsley in turn took a pull from her own near empty inhaler. As it hit her and the world slowed, that too faded to show nothing but what was physically before her.

"Seems I might be very late if I don't get moving. Maybe I should get a watch?" she was talking to no one but herself, but that is who she usually talked with. It seemed to work for her. As she once again drifted off down the road to the East, she began muttering. "Maybe I should tell Dee she's going to be having company?"

Right before she turned the corner around a half collapsed building, she caught sight of line of smoke trailing out from across the road. "Better sooner rather later later I suppose," and she skipped across to meet her fellow observer. There, nestled into a rather large hole in wall, was the subject of one of Kingsley's broken thought trains.

Deirdre Swan was a large woman in the way of height and muscles. Just over six feet and well toned rock hard muscles combined with a stance speaking volumes of "I fucking dare you to try" she exuded annoyance and strength in every movement. Currently those movements involved smoking the large cigar between her fingers and squinting after the retreating figures. Not that one could tell as her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dusty black motorcycle goggles.

"Kingsley, I see you have wandered your way into meeting the new girl in town. Care to share what you know?"

Kingsley giggled up at her, reaching to play with purple lock of hair spilling from over the band of Deirdre's goggles. Deirdre batted her hand away and gave her a hard look. Kingsley saw the change in stance and the look, but was paying more attention to the blonde haired, freckle faced, pale woman she was seeing overlaid on her friend the golden skinned giant. They moved together in every way, right down to the hand on the hip and furrowed brow.

Deirdre sighed "Do I want to know what you are seeing?"

"Hmmm? Do you ever miss being shorter?"

Deirdre pressed her fingers against her forehead, attempting to stave off the headache that often came in discussions with the unstable Kingsley. "I know you're floating right now, but I don't suppose you could land yourself for a moment? C'mon, put the goggles back on your eyes, you know they help."

Slow and lazy motions managed to fumble the goggles back to their rightful place, accompanied by a cheshire smile the whole time. The skeleton of a woman was swaying slightly on her feet, fingers twitching and the muscles in her arms jumping, but she seemed less distracted. This was an improvement to Deirdre.

"Okay, so what mess has Valentine gotten himself into now?"

Kingsley chuckled "Two broken relics off to dig through their pasts and discover if they have a future. Ghosts will rise and hopes fail. Many long roads for them both, twisting and turning, climbing and falling."

"Uh huh. I don't suppose you know the other relic's name?

Laughter was her only response, which was typical.

"Well, that's about as much help as it usually is." She kicked bag at her feet containing three large paint cans. "I gotta get these to Abbot and head back to the shop. You need an escort back to Goodneighbor?"

Kingsley was already wandering away, lazily waving goodbye. "Oh, you know me, I'll drift through the holes and places no one knows. I'll see you tomorrow, or will it be yesterday?"

Deidre felt the slight ache in her skull and huffed out a breath "Damn crazy bird. Can hardly tell if she is helpful or not half the time!" She looked back down the road to where the Detective and his client had run off, considering following them after completing her little errand, but shook the thought away. _I have to get back and prep for repairs and company, Fish hasn't been in the 'wealth for near a year and that means I'm gonna have a shit ton to do. Thankfully she will have some stops to make before getting home._

Hefting the straining sack of paint cans over her one shoulder, she adjusted the large laser rifle on the other, and made her way back into Diamond City. When one of the guards tried to stop her, she sneered down at him with a stern "Fuck off" and kept moving. The man was about to raise his shitty pipe pistol and shout and when an older and obviously veteran guard smacked him on the back of the head.

"You leave her alone boy, she'll chew you up and spit you out. Then step on you for the fun of it. Dee is welcome in the jewel. She doesn't cause trouble as long as no one troubles her," his voice was a low growl from years of shouting and smoking.

The much younger and green as grass guard nodded and stuttered out "Yes sir, but uh...who is she?"

His superior grunted at him "Never you mind that son, now back on rounds before I make you work night patrol."

He watched the man, boy really, he mused, scurry of and trained his eyes back on Deirdre as she was chatting with Sullivan. She hadn't changed all that much in fourty, no around 50, or more years since she first wandered into Diamond City in a cloud of hellfire and anger. Then again, Nick Valentine wasn't the only synth that frequented the old stadium, Deirdre was just the one fewer people new of and she made sure it stayed that way.


	11. The Ghosts

Chapter 10 The Ghosts

The sun was setting front of Nora as she gazed over another skyline of broken buildings. Fort Hagen, they hadn't even reached it yet, but Dogmeat was barreling straight towards it and she knew somewhere in her heart that was their destination. The mutt hadn't hesitated during the entire journey aside to pause when a new scrap containing scent was found. Her own urgency, her own drive, seemed to have been transferred to him with every step that pounded into the ground.

From Diamond City to the outskirts of the town surrounded the fort, the road traveled had not been a easy one. There was one delay after another and Dogmeat almost went on without them near the beginning when they had been surrounded by molerats. After that there was the yao guai, the mutants, more feral ghouls than she wished to think about, a roaming group of killer robots, and more mutants.

The more that tried to kill her in the Commonwealth, the Nora was astounded on the fact the human race had survived as long as it did. Meanwhile her traveling companion moved seamlessly from one threat to another. Detective Nick Valentine seemed entirely unphased by the constant looming of death aside from moving quickly and efficiently to either avoid the conflict or quickly dispatch it. Only one showing an emotion other than either annoyance or resignation, and that was after dispatching the last of the feral ghouls near Forest Grove Marsh.

Nora had come upon just as he blew a hole into the skull of one crawling along the ground towards him. To all intents and purposes, feral ghouls looked much like zombies from the old horror movies she used to watch with her sister when mom and dad weren't home. She knew better though, that it was much worse than that. Preston and Sturges had made sure she knew. Feral Ghouls were people, most of which who were alive when the bombs fell, that were so heavily irradiated it melted their brains and drove them mad.

Nick gazed down a the twisted limbs and tattered rags that made up the corpse heaved a heavy sigh. There was a bracelet with a small locket on once wrist, and when he reached to pull it off most of the hand detached and fell to ground with a splat. Nora had to hold back the bile in her throat, but Nick didn't seem to notice. He instead was peering into the now open locket and just looked sad.

Slow steps brought her to his side and, with a momentary hesitation, she laid a gentle hand on his upper arm. "Hey Valentine," just two words and his reverie over the little piece of metal broke.

He handed her the bracelet for her own examinations. It was small but well made, with minute details and indents where small stones must have once been. Inside were two high resolution photos of smiling faces, a boy and girl, of the same age. Nora gazed back at the withered corpse and realized they were probably her children.

"Poor dame, probably watched her world end and then was unlucky enough to fade to madness instead of a quick death," his tone held a note of bitterness and pity.

It was then she knew Detective Nick Valentine had also watched his world end in some way. Once again Nora felt the tug of her past as she watched him. Both hands deep into the pockets of the old trench coat and cigarette hanging from thin lips. There was a breeze flowing from behind them, causing the edges of that coat to ripple and fold around him. For just a brief moment, less than a second, the image of man of flesh and blood flashed over the synth before her. Then it was gone and Nora was back in the present, staring at a man who was not a man as he was lost in his own past.

Dogmeat barked and they both jumped, eyes falling to the mutt up the road from them. He looked indignant and impatient at the halt in their progress now the danger was over. That impatience was so great he wuffled at them again to make his point. Nick chuckled at him and stretched his back to break even further out of his thoughts.

"Best damn nose in the Commonwealth, and an attitude to go with it. Isn't that right?"

Nora could resist the smile despite the mood of a moment ago. He made it easy to relax, even if it was just for a moment. "Far be it from me to doubt you. Should we carry on?"

Carried on they did, up the road to their current location, the now barricaded entrance to Fort Hagen. Nora stared at the boards and sandbags blocking the path inside and her thoughts whirled. He was in there, she knew. The man who took her son from her, who left her for dead, was somewhere in the depths of the old military stronghold and she was going to find him. She was almost there.

Nick's voice broke the rising tide of anger,"Told ya Dogmeat would sniff our man out. I'd say we can take it from here and give our four-legged friend a break."

Nora gazed back at him, kneeling on the ground giving Dogmeat a well deserved scratch behind the ears. He seemed so relaxed compared to Nora, who was ready to jump out of her skin from anxiety, that she took a few minutes to respond. Choosing to instead contemplate each moment that lead to this one, Nora walked slightly away from the entrance to look up at the darkening sky.

"What are we going to find in there?"

Nick didn't move, but his nasal tone floated over to her "From all I know of Kellogg he'll have defenses and blocks set up throughout the place. He'll do everything to ensure that someone going in will die there. Remember. Kellogg's a professional. He won't make it easy."

The entire entryway was in shadow with the sun setting behind the building. Nora turned and surveyed the darkening sky behind them, showing a broken skyline on a blue velvet background. It would be so easy, too easy, to just leave and try to have a life. She had no guarantees on her son being in that building, or even just answers in that building. For all she knew it could just be chase after chase, never ending and torturous. Leaving now meant a guarantee of no more answers, no more chasing after the ghost of the life she had, and maybe letting go of everything else.

Her eye was caught by a skeleton sprawled across the steps, in full combat gear. It reminded her of Nate and how he had never come home. They had told her his body couldn't be recovered. That there was no for sure way of knowing who's body was whose at that point. He had been a body in full combat gear abandoned to the elements. She had been informed the bodies were all cremated and the ashes laid to rest on the battlefield. They had shown her the plans for a large memorial to be constructed. All she saw in her mind was her Nate alone among the dead.

A breeze picked up and tossed her hair about, making the dog tags around her neck rattle against the gold bands they were paired with. A cold hand grasped them tight, turning so she could read the stamped letters and numbers. _Nate could do this so much better than I. He could break into that building and take down anything in his path and inspire those around toc charge right in with him. I'm not fit for this, but I'm all Shaun has._

When Nora returned to herself and the moment, she turned and managed to lock gazes directly with Nick's yellow orbs. She couldn't read him in any way, aside from concern and curiosity, and she found it unsettling. As a lawyer it was part of her well honed ability to tell where people stood on a matter or a particular person, but Nick was careful in what he allowed to show. It made Nora wonder whether it was the part of him that was human or did it come from being artificial. She shook the thoughts away and returned to the matter at hand, glaring at the entryway once again.

"This is to find my son who was stolen from me by a killer and possibly a sociopath if not a psychopath. I never thought this was going to be easy," she was still looking at the entry while she spoke. "Any idea how to get in there?"

Nick had seen her hesitation, her consideration in leaving and thinking of letting it all go. He couldn't blame her, but was glad she hadn't. He had tried to leave his own ghosts in the past, but they were never far from him, no matter the state he was in. At least her goal was more achievable than his, he hoped. Standing to regard the entry with her, he gave one last scratch to Dogmeat's ears and lit up a cigarette, offering the pack to her as he finished.

"That's a good question. I'd definitely say not through here," he turned and regarded the options around either side of the building. "Looks to be a path off to the side here connected with the park garage. Could be a entrance through there."

Nora tilted her head slightly, considering it and trying to think back. It had been a while since she was last here, not even considering the passage of over 200 years, it was hard to recall exact details. She had not actually entered the building herself, but gone to the nearby Red Rocket station while Nate handled with whatever he needed to handle. He had asked her to meet him in front of Fort Hagen at a certain time, and, in thinking back, she could see him pulling around the corner from the garage area.

"Yes, that seems right, and it makes sense," but she turned to Dogmeat before heading towards the path with Nick. "Hey there boy, you go on and rest, we'll find you later, okay?"

Dogmeat wuffed back at her, tongue lolling, and spun in a few circles before sprinting off the way they came. She could only hope he was going back to the Red Rocket where she had found him, or even to Sanctuary. He was a smart dog and managed this long without her, she just didn't know if she could manage with out him. It was then she felt a soft hand on her shoulder, it was heavy but gentle, and she recalled the man who had gotten her this far. Bit by bit, he had started helping her put her broken self back together and to find the right path, and it made her realize there was no way she would have gotten her without him.

Nick Valentine, synth, detective, and filled with humanity, humility, empathy, and comfort that to her he was fully human. As she turned to face him, Nick could see the fear in her eyes, but it was overpowered by the determination. She was ready for the next step and it was now or never. He didn't speak, he didn't need to. He just nodded and they walked, side by side around the fort towards the adjacent parking garage.

Not even making it fully around the corner, Nick heard the machine winding up first and instincts took hold before anything else. Just as the first click sounded and the first bullet left the machine gun turret's barrel, he pushed Nora up against the side of the building between him and the wall. She hadn't heard defense's gears shifting or the click, and was about to heavily protest the position until the cement they had just been standing on was riddled with bullets. When the barrage stopped and small crater formed, Nora shifted her gaze from over Nick's shoulder to his eyes instead, but they were closed.

Nick could feel her breath on his cheek. Though not entirely human in appearance, he had all the senses of one. That was one the thing The Institute had made sure of, that he could feel everything they did to him, in heightended form. He felt her take a large slow breath, could hear the air in her lungs, and knew she was looking at him. One slow breath on his part, and he allowed his eyes to open, slowly. Their noses were less than an inch apart.

"Turret," Nora crossed her eyes in puzzle at the word until she connected the dots.

"Turret," she repeated "Do you mean the thing that shot at us was an old defense turret?

He gave a small nod, just an up and down motion. They were still eye to eye. Nick Valentine was very happy in this moment that he did not have the ability to blush. He was lost her eyes again and couldn't hide it, but apparently she didn't notice.

"Um...okay. How are they even working? But I suppose that doesn't matter right now since they are and we have to deal with that first. I guess what we should be working on is how to get by them," she was rambling. Nora could hear herself rambling and hated it. She hadn't rambled like this since she was a child and for an unknown reason she couldn't stop. The words tumbled out while she tried and failed to look away from those yellow eyes.

When she finally ran out of air she let her head hang down. They were still close, and normal circumstances this might have bothered her. Nothing was normal though, and instead of being wanting to remove herself from the situation, she found it strangely comforting. The strangest part of it was that she could find anything comforting anymore. His hand was back on her shoulder, giving a slight squeeze to garner her attention.

"You okay there, doll?" Nick had regained control of himself enough to actually check if she was wounded or not.

"Hmm?" Nora looked back up at him, then his hand. "Yes, thank you. I would have been swiss cheese without your quick moves," she grinned at an intruding thought. "You must be quite the dancer."

He chuckled at her, stepping to the side to allow her room to move "Not in my experience. Jenny always said I had two left feet, but she let me try anyway," he was grinning at the end, but the smile started to fade immediately. Nick hadn't meant to mention Jenny.

Nora puzzled at the female name "Who's Jenny?" It was a quiet question.

He was standing awkwardly, hand rubbing at the base of his skull, "She's...uh...someone from long ago." Nick didn't want to think about Jenny, she was ghost in his mind and in reality and one he had tried to leave behind. "We should get moving before it gets to late, you think?"

Enough of a personal life had been invaded in the last two days, so Nora didn't push the subject. They edged around the building, keeping close to the wall and ears sharp to the sounds of the motor above them. Within minutes they had made it into the garage and down the concrete stairs to a room adjacent the garage itself. It had most likely be a storage room at one point, but now it had been remade into a makeshift home complete with dirty mattress and evidence of a chem addict. The final evidence of someone having once lived here was the body of woman in the corner.

From the angle she initially looked to be passed out, scattered needles and empty inhalers around her. It didn't take long to note the lack of chest movement though, and a close look revealed the sickly color of the face. When Nick tilted the corpse for a closer examination, a large hole became apparent in the back of her skull, long dried blood and brain matter clinging to the edges.

"She's been gone a while, and by the looks of that hole, I'd say from a large caliber bullet. Most likely that hand cannon you said Kellogg was packing in 111."

Nora decided to not look too closely at the body. She had seen more corpses in her the past month than her entire life, but not one already on the visibly rotting side that was combined with an unpleasant smell. She gave a small nod and instead moved to the haphazard counter covered with beakers, vials, and piping. There were similar setups in Sanctuary and other areas she had stopped on the way to Diamond City. From her brief stay at Dr. Sun's she recalled a more sophisticated version against the open wall of his clinic.

There was a rustling behind her as Nick examined the body more closely. As he retrieved anything useful from pockets and pouches, Nora scavenged her way around the different drawers and tables in the dusty room. Between the two of there was some .38 ammo, a broken pipe pistol, a couple stimpacks, and a tin of mentats. Nora wanted to work on the old technology she had found for parts, but knew this wasn't the time, and resolved to come back later.

Nick nodded his head to the wooden plank door and wall made of junk. It lead to the rest of the garage. It was time. Nora squared her shoulders, drew her little 10mm pistol and made sure she had extra ammo easily at hand, and nodded back at Nick. A few minutes from one end of the garage to the other. A dirty rusted door was all that separated Nora from answers, and she signaled Nick to open it.

It creaked loudly on its hinges. The only sound in a dusty hallway of broken stone abandoned odds and ends. Going straight lead to another door that, when tried, proved to be barred on the other side. When the sound of rattling metal accompanied the jiggling of the door, Nick muttered something about it being barred with chains and shook his head.

"Guess we'll be going up then?" and he pointed at the stairs just to their right as they entered.

Nora conceded to Nick's expertise and skills and allowed him to lead the way. She had spent time on patrol with cops and in stations filing paperwork those of all ranks, but she would not consider herself someone to lead in such areas. Nick was cop through and through and she knew well enough when to step back. As Nora eyed the back of his battered fedora lower on the steps, another memory flashed across her vision.

"Nick Valentine," the words were quiet, but the detective heard immediately and turned towards her.

"Something you need, doll?"

"Nick Valentine...from Chicago. In Boston to assist the local department on a case. Piles of paperwork," Nick's yellow eyes glowed brighter and widened at her words. "I can see you, but not you, I tripped on the steps and you turned to help me."

She could see overlaid on him grey eyes and tousled brown hair under that fedora. Eyes heavy with exhaustion and face thin. There was powdered sugar on his collar from a half eaten donut and his shirt was wrinkled. Tired and handsome in an austere way, relaxed and unaware that he was being considered while pouring over one file after another.

Nick had returned to stand in front of her while her vision wavered between past and present. He looked scared and unsure of what would next come out of her mouth. Two thin and pale hands rose slowly to frame his face, tracing the torn synthetic skin and seeing a whole jawline instead.

"I know you, I have seen you. But how? And why is it so fragmented? I can't remember it all. It almost hurts!" Her hands left his face and grasped his shoulders instead, face falling in pain and she wrestled with her memory.

Nick had seen the same look in the mirror in wrestling his own mind. The mind of a human man instead a metal body made by men. He knew Nora shouldn't be having trouble remembering her past like this, but he had ignored it in favor of not having to revisit his own nightmares. Her she was though, stuck in her own loop and struggling with it. Deciding to not think, Nick pulled her quietly back down the stairs and to the landing.

This was neither the time nor the place to dredge of the ghosts and they had to get moving. He let out a long sigh, and gently raise her face to his. "I'm not him. I was Nick Valentine, but I'm not anymore. I can't be. I won't...I can't get into the rest of it. This is not the place."

Nora studied the yellow circles inlaid in black orbs and still saw the cloudy grey, but it was fading. The memories came fragmented, as though from a not completed puzzle that was missing pieces. It didn't make sense that she couldn't remember parts of her life before the bombs, especially something as recent as knowing the detective. At least she thought it was recent. It was hard to connect when at the same time his gaze pleaded her for her to stop. There was so much more to this than her memories and Nick Valentine was not ready to open up to it.

Instead of pressing the matter, Nora heaved a few breathes in and out to clear her head and stepped back. "Okay...I don't understand this," she knocked on the side of her head "but I see what you are saying."

Nick let out a breathe he hadn't realized he had held and allowed his shoulders to droop in relief. He had done his best to let go of the past given to him, with very little success. Nora was clearly not able to remember everything and the last thing either of them needed was that type of trip down memory lane.

"Sounds good. Let's head up then, doll." He held out his hand to her and her's settled comfortably in his. He pulled her up the first few steps, him leading and her right behind.

XXXXX

A bald headed man stared steadily at the bright screens in front of him. One showing a grainy image of the synth detective and vault dweller turning the corner and out of view on the stairs. He rubbed roughly at the stubble along his jaw, wincing as the scar across the left side of his face twinged. "I guess it's time to face the ghosts," his voice was as rough as he looked and came around a half gone cigar.

He stubbed the cigar out in a broken ashtray and looked over the top of the monitors. "Make sure everything is set up, we have company."

The figure he spoke to came into the light to reveal not human, but an unclothed human-like machine. Panels of synthetic skin broke up and formed a hint of musculature and features, but the face had no emotion it. There was no question or hesitation, not even a thought. It just acknowledged the order and went about its tasks.

He looked back to the screen and considered the smoke rising in front of it. "Imagine the lengths a parent will go for their child, huh." There was no one to respond to him.


	12. But For the Grace of Old Friends

Chapter 11 – But For the Grace of Old Friends

Nick Valentine held Nora tightly to his side as they stumbled back out into the garage, the sounds of too many laser weapons firing quieting as the door slammed shut behind them. She was breathing heavy, tension in every puff of air with her arm slung over his shoulder. He adjusted his grip on her waist, making sure to keep the wod of cloth pinned tightly under his hand.

It had only taken ten minutes inside to come face to face with the reality of the power Kellogg commanded. When rounding the corner of the stairs brought them in line of site of three synths armed with laser pistols and electrified batons, both had to duck back behind cover. Before fully making it into hiding, Nick had been grazed on the shoulder, doing more damage to his old trench coat then him. The smoking cloth had spurred something in Nora, a crazy something in Nick's mind, to jump across to the terminal and connected Protectron charging pod.

Two running strides and Nick had managed to snake his hand out and tug her back, but in the split second time this took, one well programmed synth managed to land a solid hit on Nora's open side. The scream reverberated through the room, nearly drowning out the weapons, as Nora collapsed back next to Nick. Though his mind went completely quiet at the sight of writhing in pain, his hands went right to work. Out of habit from days long gone, Nick yanked the spare handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to the wound, causing another outcry of pain.

Because it was from a laser weapon it was partially cauterized, but still bleeding too heavily for Nick's comfort. He had grabbed her hand to place it over the scrap of cloth, just to the side and under her left breast, and hauled her up. He was able to hear the stomp of metal and synthetic skin behind them as he practically carried her down the stairs and back to the garage.

As they burst out of the garage and away from Fort Hagen, he noticed the synths hadn't followed them past the door. This would have been a good thing if it hadn't been immediately drowned out by the firing of the turrets from above. Nick stumbled and grunted as a bullet went through his leg. It thankfully missed anything required for actually motion, but he almost dropped Nora in his recovery. Her head was lolling from side to side and eyes barely open. Though the wound itself wasn't life threatening unless it was treated, Nick had a feeling the exhaustion since leaving the vault and the pain itself was throwing her into shock.

The sound of gunfire chasing him on, he swung Nora fully into his arms and broke into a run. Cutting North up the road and making around the corner to the East before another bullet got either of them, he didn't slow to a jog until he was passing the old trailer park and the highway was insight. The place was infested with feral ghouls, he could see them ambling around from the road, and vetoed it as an option to stop and rest. Diamond City was the ideal place for treatment in regards to medical ability, but it was further away than he would like and had too many eyes and ears for his comfort.

Nick was rounding the corner near Forest Grove Marsh when a loud bark broke his contemplations. There ahead of him, proudly sitting on an rusted out tin can of a car, was Dogmeat. Nick had never been so thankful to see a mutt in either of his lives, and he gave a foolish grin. Dogmeat never does what is expected, and only does what he is told when he feels like it. This was one of the times Dogmeat decided to sniff around until the next adventure found him, and Nick could use the extra hands, well paws, in getting to safety.

"Fancy seeing you here, you old mutt. C'mon, we gotta get out of 'ere," his response was a woof as Dogmeat bounded past him, darting down the road and beyond the bridge Nick was going to take to cross the Charles.

"Hold up there, Dogmeat!" Nick shouted, barely seeming to halt the mutt in his tracks. "We need to get Nora to a doctor, and Doc Sun is probably the best she is gonna get." _Why am I explaining myself to a dog?_

Dogmeat only woofed again and turned in circles before pointing his nose back to the south. The mutt seemed to have a better idea of where to go aside from Diamond City, which caused Nick to think of what was to the south of them. It took more than a few minutes, he was embarrassed to say, but the only thing he could think of was a certain old club building.

"Really? You think we should go and dump all this on Dee?" Dogmeat just wagged his tail. "Well, I suppose it is closer than hoofing it to DC since we will have to go North some and then south to actually get there."

Nick gazed down at Nora's face. Her breathing was rough and skin pale aside from the flush in her cheeks. She needed attention sooner rather than later, and the closest attention was with Deirdre, despite the awkward friendship between the two. He and Dee hadn't run together for more than a few years due to differing opinions and their own personal ghosts, but she could be relied on in a pinch, and this was more than just a pinch. With a resigned sigh, Nick jogged to catch up to Dogmeat.

XXXXX

Deirdre raised her head from the rather large laser rifle she had taken apart on the counter in front of her, narrowing her eyes to the sound of one of her traps being tripped. A clink followed by a snap let her know it was a tripwire, and the small grenade explosion directly after confirm her line of thought. All of this put together narrowed the line of entry to the front of the building. _Comin' from the front? Huh...that's ballsy._ In the minute she took to consider all options, her laser rifle was quickly reassembled and checked, resting comfortably in her hands.

She had considered all options to counter the intruder, including waking her loudly snoring companion in the other room, and decided the roof would be a good start. Choosing to let the sleeping lie, Deirdre navigated up top, slipping her goggles over eyes on the way, and gazed at the scene below.

The modifications to her goggles were specifically for heat signatures, but Deirdre had made further upgrades for them to differentiate between organic and non-organic as well. She settled behind some the crates placed near the edge of the roof, rifle at the ready, and concentrated on the movements of the intruders below. At first their appeared to be only one very large and oddly shaped person until she realized the party walking was carrying another person. They had entered at the far edge of the yard, where the grenade had been tripped, and were painstakingly making their way to the entrance. Deirdre smiled at the movements, knowing it was from wariness of the initial trap. Her grin widened when she noticed they were nearing a nicely hidden mine, and considered lobbing another grenade at them for good measure, but decided it would be a waist.

Just before the figure stepped in range of the mine, a loud bark made the man, Deirdre guessed it was a man, started and retreated a few feet. She swore under her breath and rose up, leveling the barrel of her rifle at the figure.

"Hey! Fuckwit! Something I can help you with?" her voice was commanding and reverberated around the empty area. She was staring down the sites at him and found there was something familiar about that battered fedora.

Due to the late evening, she couldn't make out any features of the man below, but she could tell he immediately stopped his progress on a new path and raised his gaze to her. The first words in the nasal tone gave her all the information she needed about her intruder.

"Dee? You have a funny way of greeting those coming to you for help," Nick was glaring at her, though Deirdre couldn't see it. Thanks to being an older model synth he was able to further adjust his sight to more clearly make her out. If Nick's hands were free, he would have slapped one over his eyes. Since this was not an option, he returned his gaze downward and yelled back up "C'mon, Dee, you couldn't have put on some clothes first?"

Deirdre had lowered her weapon, letting it loosely hang from one hand, and let her eyes fall to own person. Where most in the Wasteland wore layers of ragged clothes and mismatched ramshackle armor, she had on an old Red Rocket mechanics jumpsuit but the top half was off and bunched around her hips. In an effort more towards containment than modesty, Deirdre had wrapped medical bandages around her breasts to compress them as tightly as possible.

All in all it is worn for comfort and ease of movement than anything else. If worn out in public prewar it would have caused scandal and the possibility of being arrested for indecency. Since there was really no one to answer to buy herself, Deirdre didn't see any point in caring what others thought. In a different life she would have tried to cover up at the detective's remark, now she just smirked at him.

"Now Nicky, you and I both know propriety went out the window about 200 years ago, if not longer," she jerked her head in a come on in motion. "Take five steps forward and three to the right and you will be safe to the stairs. Let's see what mess you've gotten yourself inself into this time."

Nick hot footed it to the door per instructions, but Deirdre was already leaning against the frame waiting him despite her needing to make it down from the roof. Her arms were crossed over her stomach and her pose gave the seeming of relaxation, but Nick knew she was always on high alert. Life in the military and then post-war Boston will do that to a person. As Nick stepped in front of her, Deirdre lowered her eyes to examine the passed out woman limp in his arms. She was very pale and breathing shallowly, skin stark against the dark circles under her eyes. Many a rough customer had walked through Deirdre's door throughout the years, but the woman before her was definitely on the more battered end of the spectrum.

"Hell Nick. How do you manage to always find the damaged ones?"

Nick snorted in derision "Ha, ha. Real funny there. Can you help or do I need to book it elsewhere?"

"Nah," Deirdre waved him in "bring her in and get her on the table. I should have everything needed for this."

Nick ducked past her, rounding each corner with confidence of where he was going. She smirked and shook her head at his haste. The woman in his arms looked rough in more ways than one, but she was far from beyond saving. From Deirdre's perspective, what she needed the most of was rest. She figured Nick logically new this, but something else was overriding his normally stable logic train.

The old club house wasn't large and Nick had already made it to the main room before Deirdre fully caught up with him. He was about to start shoving the various items covering the large metal table to the floor when she halted him. First removing some of the more delicate glass and metal objects to another side table, Deirdre herself pushed the rest off.

"So Nicky, tell me about this lady who happened to land in your arms," she busied herself moving about the table and room. Pulling Stimpacks and Med-X out of various storage areas and other various necessities. Deirdre had noticed the blood covering the woman's side and figured that would be the best place to start.

Nick had stepped back to be out of the way, and sank into a nearby chair keeping a careful eye on his companion for any change. After assuring Deirdre had her care well in hand, he let his head sink into his hands, thinking over the events of the past two days. It was a jumble one thing after another and Nick wasn't sure whether to start tracking down Skinny Malone's girl or when Nora busted him out of the old Vault or even when he had officially received Nora's case. As a detective, Nick new the best thing to do was to start at the beginning, so he did.

Moving around the table back to the main wound in Nora's side, Deirdre listened attentively to Nick. The whole thing sounded like weird noir novel in her opinion, but her experiences with the old detective seemed to always lead down that road. Prodding two fingers into the wound confirmed her suspicions of it being from a laser weapon as it was partially cauterized. The singed clothing around the wound was the first clue, and also finalized her decision to either cut away or remove the clothing. The initial layer of an old flannel shirt was easily ripped off, revealing the still vibrant blue of the vault suit underneath. The hole in the suit couldn't be mended, but cutting it away could be a waste of the remaining material.

"Valentine, c'mere I need your help getting her suit off," she didn't bother to look if he agreed, but just began unzipping it.

Nick hesitated at the thought of stripping his client, Nora, down considering her inability to agree to a procedure. He processed it away as it was for her health and not in any way a intent to violate. He just hoped she would see that way, and rose to join Dee at the other side of the table "Whacha need?"

Deirdre worked methodically, already having the suit unzipped and was pulling Nora up into a sitting position. "I just need you to hold her up while I get her arms out of the suit. The wound itself will heal with a stimpack just fine, but I want to clean it first and make sure nothing heals into that shouldn't."

Nick gulped reflexively at the expanse of exposed skin the zipper revealed and was thankful he lacked the ability to blush. Dee didn't seem to notice his awkward body language as he gripped Nora around her torso, carefully looking up and away. He understood her reasoning and all the logic behind it, but he also wished it wasn't necessary for him to be the medical assistant in this case.

"So...uh...I heard Fish was back in the area," Dee, managed to not chuckle at his attempt to avoid the topic of the nearly topless woman in his arms.

"Sure is," in her attentiveness to her task at hand, her normally flat tone was allowing forth a slight midwestern twang "I haven't caught up with her yet, but word is she is taking care of some business in Goodneighbor before fully getting herself back here. I expect she'll be in tonight or early tomorrow." She worked the second arm free of its sleeve and slowly peeled the suit down, carefully pulling it away from the still sluggishly bleeding wound. "There we go, you can lay her back down now. I have the rest of this."

Nick focused his gaze on Nora's face while he and Dee adjusted her fully back on the table. She was still very pale and her breathing shallow, but she seemed slightly better. She wasn't conscious though, and Nick didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. Her face seemed more angular without the hair to frame and soften the edges. It gave her a fierceness despite the state she was in, but circles beneath her eyes belied some of that fierceness for exhaustion and determination. For a woman he knew had been in cryo sleep for over 200 years, she seemed to be in a general state of unrest. Considering the circumstances he couldn't really blame her, but they needed to plan on a more serious level if they were going to get any favorable results.

He stepped back and watched Dee work, eyeing the dose of Med-X issued near Nora's side wound, until he was sure he wouldn't be needed. Once again assigning himself to the nearby chair, Nick ran the events of the day through his processors. He had figured Kellogg was working with or for The Institute in some way, but the number of synths that greeted them at Fort Hagen was more than he had considered. By himself he definitely would not be able to make it through the fort. Nora herself was barely more than a month out of the Vault and, thought she had adjusted well, was not up for the assault it would take. _More time, we're gonna need more time, and more people. Dammit!_ He cursed the plan formulating in his mind, knowing it was the best route, but hating how long it would take.

Deirdre leaned back from the table and stretched, large cracks sound from her spine as she adjusted herself. "There we go! She'll be out for a while but will just be fine with the rest and some time. Hand me that blanket by you?" she gestured to a pile of fabric to Nick's right, not really looking at him.

Nick glanced over at the mass of brown and grey and tossed it over to her. It was a rough material, but seemed like it would be warm. He once again focused back on Nora as Dee tucked the blanket around her. She was breathing easier and some color had returned to her face, but she was still unconscious as Dee had said, and Nick found it worried him still. Rising from the chair he moved to study her closer, not really looking at Deirdre, though she watched him closely.

Nora was a strong and unyielding woman who had been given a shitty hand in life. He mused it was probably one of the worst ones he had come across, including his own sordid tale. Yet here she was, clawing and fighting to get a piece of something good back while so many would have, and had, given up. The passion was admirable, but considering what they had just encountered, he wasn't sure it should be encouraged. The likelihood of this ending well was slim to none and there would be more death along the way no matter what. That was the reality of the 'wealth and the state of the world as it was.

In the midst of Nick's reverie of past, present, and future decisions something akin to an old truck revving up combined with the growl of a bear broke the silence. Before he could even address the noise, Deirdre further ruined any chance of a return to peace and burst into laughter. Aside from the now gut wrenching laughter from his friend, who was now almost doubled over, Nick was most concerned on how the strange sound seemed to be coming from inside the building. There was no use trying to speak with his friend's intense, gut-busting laughter. It took several minutes, but Deirdre finally calmed down enough to breathe somewhat steadily, leaning heavily on the table with a wide grin on her face.

"So, I'm assuming from your reaction there is nothing I should be concerned about," he paused considering his phrasing and decided to just push forward. "But I have to ask...what the hell was that!?"

Deirdre chuckled at him and waved his question away "That was Strong, a...uh...friend. Heavy sleeper and such," she jerked her head at a enclosed area behind her. "He's just back there."

Nick was about to inquire further, he likes to know who he is dealing with, when a secondary chuckle floated in from behind him. It was warm and sultry with an underlying roughness that only came from smoking and dusty roads. "Oh really? A friend?" a flick of a lighter floated with the voice. "Is that what it's called these days?" there was hint of joke in her tone that Nick new he was not catching.

Before even turning to regard the owner of the voice, he knew who it was. Very few people knew the old club house was anything more than an abandoned building, and fewer still knew how to get around Deirdre's maze of mines and traps. There, leaning against the doorframe, highlighted in the glow of candles and old fluorescent lights, was Pandora Fisher. For the first time since stepping into the old club house, Nick truly smiled.

"Fish, good to see you back in the Commonwealth! It's been, what, four months?" he stepped forward, hand extended for a companionable handshake, but she slid around it and pulled him into a tight hug instead.

"Just over six months, actually, but who's counting?" more quietly and in his ear "It's real good to see you too, Nick. We have some things to talk about later."

Nick Valentine wasn't one used to even being touched, much less hugged, so he didn't fully respond to the gesture until she was about to step back. When the last whispered word was spoken he gave her a quick around the waist squeeze before moving slightly away himself. Nick didn't had no issues with being hugged, especially by a good friend, he just didn't know how to respond to them anymore. Such shows of affection were rare these days for anyone in the wastelands.

Fish held him at arm's length, hands on his shoulders and gave his him a going over, smirking at his familiar haggard state. She had first met Nick as a child on her first time in the Commonwealth. Even then she traveled all over the bombed out United States, always at the side of the only man she can remember being somewhat of a father to her. At the age of six her little world was set on fire and through it walked a man who treated death and destruction as mere happenstance than anything else. From there it was a long story of even longer expeditions across the wastes until she first set eyes on the broken Boston skyline.

Softly smiling at Nick, she adjusted his ratty coat collar and reached higher up to cup his face. Running a thumb along the tattered skin of his jawline, she couldn't help but chuckle "Nick, this looks worse than why I last saw you. When are you gonna let Amari or Dee patch you up some?"

Nick shifted awkwardly at her question and the touchy subject it hit on. He took her hands in his own, careful of his metal joints on human skin, and gently removed them. "You know me, Fish. Always runnin' around on one thing or another, never seem to have the time." He chuckled, rubbing a hand on the back of his head. "Besides, it's nothing that I need to bother anyone on. I'm doing alright."

Fish huffed at him and turned to Dee, peering over his shoulder at the woman laying on the table. "Seems like things haven't been boring while I was gone. What's her story?"

Dee smirked back at her "Oh, you know, the usual for those who end up in this motley crew. Strange, confounding, and near impossible." she jerked her head at Nick in a get over here motion, "C'mon Nick. Let's get her down stairs and comfortable. You carry, I'll lead."

Fish watched as her old friend gently wrapped his arms under and around the woman on the table. Nick had also been courteous of those around and careful to cause no harm, but the way he moved with the woman in his arms was more than just courtesy. Flame light up the features of her face as Fish lite up a long cigarette, showing off her high cheekbones, narrow nose, and deep black hair, and look closer at her friend. _I don't think I have ever seen him look at a person like that. Poor guy looks confused, frightened, and surprised all at once._ She gave another low chuckle under her breath as the two walked around the corner. Perching on the now empty table, Fish listened to the slightly quieter snoring of Strong from the other room and took a long pull from the cigarette. Watching the smoke trail into the rafters she contemplated the messy state around her and scattered medical supplies. _This is going to be an interesting little adventure._


	13. Old World Ghosts

Chapter 12 - Old World Ghosts

Nora was pounding her fists on the glass in front of her, screaming while they took her baby, and yet she heard nothing. The air inside her pod felt dead, suffocating and removed of all sound. Her hands were bleeding, staining the glass porthole as the man approached her. Once more he spoke those words, booming in the silence of everything else.

"At least we still have the backup…" and he was gone.

Shooting up in bed, Nora cried in terror and then in pain as her side protested the sudden strain. Her head throbbed with need for hydration and the pounding from her dream seemed to echo from somewhere above her. With a hand held to the pain in her side, she closed her eyes and ordered her thoughts, trying to take stock of her situation. She remembered getting to Fort Hagen, and entering through the garage. Her mind brought up the image of climbing the cement steps behind Nick, and seeing someone other them him for a brief second. The next thing coming to mind was a searing fire in her side and the sounds of some type of battle. _Laser fire? I'm pretty sure there were lasers._

She started to shake her head, to clear her mind and shake out the inane trains of thoughts, but quickly stopped when the throbbing intensified. That combined with unrhythmic stomping above her lead to a sudden feeling of nausea caused everything to flip flop. Darting her gaze sporadically about the room, Nora spied a dusty bucket conveniently just next to the bed and scooped it up.

That was how Nick found her, propped up on the bed, legs bent in front of her, and heaving into the bucket between her knees. The whole position looked uncomfortable and the dry retching sounds did not improve on the vision. Instead of forging ahead into the small space, Nick allowed her time to calm her stomach and catch her breath. He figured the last thing she needed was more embarrassment on top of how she was feeling. After a couple minutes of only gasping breaths, Nick tapped his metal knuckles on the doorframe, as there was only a ratty blanket instead of a door, and stepped in a few inches.

"Hey there, doll. Hoping you'd be awake by now," he stood awkwardly, not knowing what else to say really.

Nora had flinched at his knock on the entrance, not knowing there was anyone in what she assumed was a basement with her. Nick looked guilty all over, and she wasn't sure if it was for scaring her or something else. All in all, he didn't look like he knew what to do with himself in the space. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't know what to do or what was going on either. She shifted uncomfortably on the lumpy mattress, adjusting the faded blanket to cross her legs, and finally took note of her state, or lack thereof, of dress.

Though distinctly remembering wearing her Vault suit before losing consciousness, it was a much different story now. Trying to not be obvious, Nora took attempted to take full stock of her situation. Instead of her stretchy and well fitted Vault suit, she now work an overly large man's t-shirt. It had once been white, but had faded well past grey. Missing was her bra and her underwear, causing a certain level of self-consciousness with Nick in the room. All of that also combined with a distinct lake of pants lead to Nora tucking the blanket more more securely around herself while still trying to sit up more in the bed.

It took Nick longer than it should to realize the reason for her clumsy and stiff motions. In an effort to make her more comfortable he look up and away instead. This of course only served to cause Nora to flush slightly in embarrassment as she then realized he knew. All of this leading to the age old vicious cycle silence and eye contact avoidance. After more than a few minutes, Nick finally recalled why he had made his way down to the basement.

"Ah...um. Dee said you would probably be thirsty when you woke up, so I brought these down for ya," he held out his hand to her and the two cans of purified water he was holding.

Nora's headache had toned down one bit since waking, she had just had other things to concentrate on to distract her. The site of the cans of water resurfaced her need for liquid at fluids at an all time high. Momentarily forgetting propriety Nora leaned forward and happily took the cans from Nick. Her leaning forward caused the blanket to shift and fall from her person and puddle in her lap. It wasn't until she sat back with the water, marveling at the fact they were cold with a sheen of perspiration on the cans, that she realized the blanket had fallen and her shirt was gaping open to reveal more skin than either of them were comfortable with.

Eyes locked with an intense moment of silence and Nora's face turned from sickly white to brilliant red and she scrabbled to pull the blanket up. In the panic to cover back up, both cans of water dropped from her hands, one falling to the bed in front of her and one away to the floor and near the chair. Nick had looked up and away when Nora grabbed for the blanket, internally praising his inability to blush in any circumstance. When the sounds of cloth rustle quieted he carefully glanced over. She was bundle under the blanket, it fully wrapped around her now, and intently studying the now one can of water in her hand.

Shifting back and forth he considered his next moves and landed on retreat "I...uh...I'll let you rest. Give a shout if you need something." He was through the doorway when she spoke from behind him.

"What happened back there, Nick?" her voice was raspy to the point of fully hoarse, but was clearly heard.

Nick rested his metal hand on the doorframe and sighed. He had wanted to wait until she was a bit more rested before going through it. One thing would lead to another and she would remember more. He wasn't sure he was ready for where more lead. _No way out of it I guess._ He grumbled internally and turned back to her.

"When you get down to it, we weren't prepared for all Kellogg had in there." Crossing through the small room he sank down in the chair. He ran his hands over his face and settled into exhaustion, elbows on knees and head in hands. "We went in there too quick, full on blind, and I should have known better. There are no good stories or outcomes when it comes to Kellogg and near all the lines lead to him workin' with The Institute. Dammit!"

Nora was reaching for him when he swore in frustration. In a split second she was seeing a man of flesh and blood instead of the mechanical one before her. He was in the same position of and there were papers scattered all around a faded office background. Staring at him was like watching an old faded film, but it all clicked into place in a painful moment. Crying out Nora dug her fists into her eyes and watched a flurry of images graze over her. All showing a series of memories she hadn't realized she'd forgotten and some she had purposefully blocked out.

Nick forgot his anger at himself at the sound of her pain and jumped up. She was curled up over herself, heaving and gasping trying to center herself. When he tried to help her sit up she gasped again, jumping slightly and looking straight into his eyes. So wide they were nearly round, those blue eyes bore into him, surround by a paper white face.

"Detective Nicholas Robert Valentine, Chicago PD. On loan to Boston PD to assist on the Eddie Winters case. So many lost on that raid. You were so angry. Ready to storm down and drag Winters in rules and laws be damned. It took me near all night to talk you down," her words were fast and monotone, like she was reciting facts. Trembling her hands cupped his face, "How?"

Nick's circuits were firing a mile a minute but he was saying nothing. Doing nothing. After more than a few minutes he pulled her hands down and stood, moving away. He kept his back to her and slowly spoke. "This...uh...this isn't something I normally talk about, but considering...everything I guess it is time. Besides, I know I can trust you at this point."

Nora watch him silently as he collected his thoughts. She heard him breathe in and release, shoulders slumping. The thought of him making the action, the motion of breathing is something she found curious, as he didn't need to breathe. Figuring it was something that would come to light in time, she didn't speak.

"See, my personality, it's all based on this pre-war cop. The man you remember, Nick Valentine, volunteered to get his brain-scanned before back before the war. Now, for as long as I can remember I've been getting these...flashes. Memories of places I've never been. Things I've never seen. Memories of Nick's," his voice was sad, resigned, as he spoke. Knowing it was part of him but not liking it.

"They're not bad. They're just…" he ran his hand over his face and under his hat, bracing himself against the doorframe. "They're just this inescapable reminder. That I'm not the person I think I am. That I'm not a person at all." Turning back to Nora he look at her once more. "I'm not that man you are remembering, Nora. I'm just a machine, pretending to be human." Nick made his way back to the chair and slumped into it, resuming his position of frustration and exhaustion.

The bed and chair were just over a foot apart, within easy reach to Nora. She hesitated only a moment before reaching out and taking his hand, his metal hand. Nick's head raised when she did and watched her as she examined the metal joints and wire tendons. After a moment she reached for his other hand and put it next to the metal one. Comparing them together and feeling the differences and slight similarities. Another minute or two later Nora pressed his hands together, holding them between her own.

"Nick, these last few days have been a rollercoaster of...of I don't even know honestly. But I can tell you one thing, you think. You feel. You're more than pretending, Nick."

He snorted derisively and withdrew his hands, staring at them in turn "That's easy for you to say. You don't have someone else's life trapped in your skull," he waved the anger tinged words away. "Don't get me wrong. I know I'm in Nick's debt. These memories, they've kept me alive."

Nora chuckled and he looked up at her, surprised "From what I'm starting to remember, that doesn't surprise me," she pressed her fingers to her temple and screwed her face in thought. "I don't know why I couldn't remember all of this earlier though. It is such a strange jumble now, though." She hugged out a breath "Tell me, Nick, what kind of memories?"

His yellow eyes closed in thought and resignation at the question he knew was coming "Everything. Old cases. Old loves. I've found myself running background on cases only to realize everyone involved's been dead for 200 years." His face broke into a crooked grin and caught her eye. "I remember you doll. All clean lines and perfect suits. A mind sharp as a knife in a pair of killer heels. Not many women went after the lawyer track those days and there wasn't a doubt you'd make it."

Nora let out a bitter laugh and examined her own hands now. They were dirty and the skin dry and cracked. Her nails were broken where they had once been perfectly manicured. To top it all off she was sitting half naked on a broken bed in a junk filled basement with a robotic type man. A man that contained the memories, personality, and who knows what else from someone in her past. "And look at me now, the farthest I could be from being a lawyer." They both sat in silence, contemplating past lives and current and the wreck of the world. Once again Nora reached out and took Nick's hand in her own. "Nick was a hell of a cop, a guy with good instincts, and a good heart. I can't remember everything right now, but I remember that."

Nick concentrated on his hands in hers and nodded slowly "I always counted myself lucky they didn't load me up with some ex-con or whatever type might volunteer to let folks tinker with their gray matter," shrugging and shaking his head at the thought. "But it's thanks to Nick that I pass for human. Why I get to live cushy in Diamond City and every other synth is shot on sight. I know I got it good, but... my entire life I owe to Nick." Nick pulled his hands away suddenly and stood, his voice changing with a hidden anger as he moved back to the doorway.

"Everything that makes me who I am - my judgment, my speech, hell, even my name - they're his. And I can't do a damn thing about it because without them... without them I'm nothing. A shell." A sigh escaped his lips, again resigned, longing. "All I want is a life where I have something I can call my own." He heard her rustle behind him, and the scrap of bare feet on the concrete. It wasn't until her hand rested on his shoulder did she speak.

"You've already built a life for yourself, Nick. You've got the agency. A home. Friends. Every choice you have made since leaving The Institute has been yours. This life is yours and you get to decide what to do with it."

"I...I mean...you're not...well you've got some good points there…" his shoulders slumped and he braced himself against the doorframe once again. "You know, I'm just going to need some time to think on this. I appreciate you hearing me out. You're...you're a real good friend. Thanks."

When Nick turned back to her, he found that though she was smiling she was also wavering on her feet. That combined with the return of the ghostly pallor hinted she had over extended herself. Just as he was about to nudge her back to the bed, she swayed a little too far to the side and nearly bashed herself against the old dresser at the end of the bed. She managed to catch herself at the last moment, but Nick had also moved to brace her further.

"C'mon, let's get you back to bed. You're pretty well healed, but we are both under orders to rest up," steering her back to the bed, Nick let Nora arranged herself comfortably and made sure she was starting in on the first can of water. Fetching the second from where it rolled, he wiped it on his coat and set it next to her.

Nora allowed herself to get wrapped up in the feeling of the cool clean water before her mind keyed into the subject of where they were. Half the can of water gone, she peered more closely at the room she was in and what she could see through the doorway with the cloth pushed out of the way. With no windows and the items piled around, she felt she was accurate in assuming they were in a basement. Opening her mouth to fully ask the question, a new voice came from the doorway that was empty just moments earlier.

"Ah! So you have reached a state of consciousness! I was wondering what was keeping Nick so long down here. Should have guessed," Dee leaned against the door frame, arms crossed and a crooked grin on her face.

Nora stared slightly dumbfound at the woman. She was unusually tall, over six feet she estimated, in hefty combat boots and mechanics uniform. A pair of welding goggles rested on her forehead and her hair was a shocking blue with shaved sides and the rest ending in a short spiked tail.

Nick shook his head with a defeated huff of breath at Dee. Though he knew in this day it didn't matter, it still gave him a start with how she dressed. She still hadn't bothered on pulling up the jumpsuit all the way or throwing on a shirt. So there she was, in front of Nora, basically topless aside from the cloth bindings around her chest. He wasn't sure why he bothered protesting still since she had been like that within a few months of her being in the 'wealth. He swore internally when he realized that was around fifty years ago.

Realizing introductions were probably in order, he gestured over to Dee, "Nora, this is Deirdre Swan. All around recluse and trouble maker and our gracious host." Gesturing back to Nora in a semblance of politeness, "Dee, Nora Isham, a woman with a history as complicated as ours."

Dee raised her brows at that statement "That's not something easily attainable, and also not something one really wants to have. My condolences."

Nora wrinkled her brow at the platitude and nodded, unsure if it was genuine or sarcastic. Considering her own life as of late and knowing some of Nick's story, she leaned towards authentic, but something about the tone felt off. It was guarded and almost cold, but everyone was guarded in some way she noticed. The state of the world didn't leave room for much else, broken and chaotic it was. In the midst of her contemplation she keyed into the conversation Dee and Nick seemed to be having.

"...on into early afternoon. What's next on your action plan?"

Nick rubbed at back of his neck and shifted his gaze to Nora "Well that depends on my client here." He didn't catch Dee's smirk at the use of the word "client." "We haven't gotten much of a chance to really talk about what happened."

Nora kept her eyes on the now empty can of water in her hands "Yes, sorry I got us a bit side tracked." She rubbed at her brow and scowled. "It all seems so blurry why I try to think of it. And this headache is not helping."

Dee chuckled once more and handed her the other can of water "Yeah, dehydration, stress, and bein' wounded will do that to ya. Drink up and then we will see about getting you some clean clothes and back upstairs. I'm sure Fish has plenty of stuff that you can use."

Cracking open the new can, Nora looked between Nick and Dee "I've heard this 'Fish' mentioned a few times. Who is he...or she?"

"She's a traveler, runs with the long stretch caravans. You'll meet her soon enough. In fact," she switched over to Nick with a wolfish grin "why don't you run upstairs and send her down. Give us some girl time."

Nick snorted at her, but rose all the same "Dee, you were never one to just do 'girl time.'" He rested a hand on Nora's shoulder. "I'll be just upstairs, doll. You okay?"

Switching between the two for a moment, Nora nodded and patted his hand awkwardly "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Tipping his hat, Nick worked his way past Dee and made his way out of the small room. As his footsteps sounded in the connecting area and going up concrete stairs, both women could hear him muttering about so called "girl time." At the same time their eyes met and then both broke into a healthy from the gut laughter, Nora's a bit lighter, more careful, than Dee's.

"I swear, he was born an old codger!" Dee wiped at her eyes and shook her head at the marvel that was Nick Valentine. Returning her gaze to Nora, her gaze moved from jovial to critical, fully looking the woman over in assessment. In fifty years of knowing Nick and Dee found he could still surprise her with the people he managed to stumble across.

Without even looking, Nora could feel the gaze and tone in the room shift. She had felt it before around Nate's military buddies and commanding officers. Just a subtle shift in posture and they could go from relaxed to full alert with no warning. Right now she felt as though she was being sized up, and not knowing what Nick had already told Deirdre, she met that gaze head on.

"Are you going to ask me a question or should I let you examine me in silence?" the tone was cool, but challenging. Nora no longer had a reason to place nice with those of the military and she certainly wasn't going to do so when there no longer was a military.

Dee cracked a crooked smile at the attitude "Not a stranger to be around us gun lovin' folks, are ya?" she waved the question away before Nora could answer. "No matter. Sure...I've got plenty of questions, but I don't think you're gonna be tellin' much of anything, which is totally your choice. So we'll skip past that." Stretching back in the chair, she kicked her legs out and relaxed laced her fingers behind her head. "Nick's told me some of what's been going, busting him out of that old vault was very nice by the way. Not many can pull that kinda shit off all on their lonesome. He left your story to you, though. I get it, but a girl can't help but be curious." She held up a hand to stop Nora from replying, "Like I said, it's your choice...it's your story. This buildings full of strange ones and just about everyone's got something they don't much like talking about."

Nora narrowed her eyes at the strange woman, but nodded her head. "Thank you. Frankly, I barely know where to begin half the time. Right now, I have one goal and it has lead me to Fort Hagen. As I'm sure you know, that did not go so well and I'm not sure what to do from here." Her posture deflated as the realization hit her of just how stuck she was. The one lead she had to find her baby boy and it was in a well defended military base.

A heavily scarred hand rested on her ankle, giving a light squeeze. "Hey now, I'm sure Nick's already got his circuits running at full time with more than a few plans to help you. I've known him long enough to tell you that for certain. Until then, we gotta get you cleaned up and in some fresh clothes. The best person for that…" she grinned when the basement door groaned open and the sound of footsteps were heard on the wooden platform nearby "is Fish."

Coming towards the room, Nora heard the distinctive stride of a women who's every motion was filled with defiance and a deep seated purpose. She knew that stride because it was her own every time she walked into the police station or a courtroom. The only thing missing was the clicking of a fine pair of stiletto heels, but she supposed stilettos were more than a little foolish considering the state of things.

Before the new comer had made it all the way to the room, Deirdre called out "Hey, Fish! Our house guest is awake."

"I had a feeling as such when Nicky said you were askin' for me," the voice was smooth and smokey, and the women who accompanied it into the room matched it perfectly. Being of average five foot five inches of height was the only thing average about her. The rest of her was slim with lean muscles and perfect curves. Dressed in well made, deep red and high waisted trousers, black short sleeved button up, and pinstripe vest, complete with suspenders, she exuded class and sensuality in every motion. A red military style beret rested on perfectly trimmed and ruler straight black hair cut into a short bob just above her chin.

Deirdre piped in while Nora stared "Pandora Fisher, meet Nora. According to Nick her story is about as strange as mine and his."

Her lips twitched as she raised the cigarette dangling from her fingers. "Well...ain't that somethin'. Nice to meet you now that you are conscious." She didn't approached Nora, but nodded courteously from the doorway before turning to Deirdre. "I assume I was summoned for a specific purpose?"

Deirdre raised a brow at her "What you got someone where you need to be? I thought you wouldn't be heading on any runs for a while."

A devilish grin played across the new woman's face and cocked her hip, placing a hand upon it "Now, there is always that is need of my attention," her words were precise and well articulated, unlike pretty much everyone else Nora had met since leaving the vault. She found it refreshing.

"Uh huh...I'm sure whatever, or should I say whomever, you have lined up can wait a bit longer. Our guest here is in need of a shower and fresh clothes and that is more your department than mine."

Fish blew a puff of air through her nose, not quite a snort, but a distant cousin to one "And don't you forget it," she turned her attention back to Nora. "Think you can walk?"

Nora had been watching like it was a tennis match and almost didn't realize she was being addressed. "Oh!" she looked down at her legs questioningly "I think so. The water has helped quite a bit."

Slowly swinging her legs off the bed, Nora was about to stand before she remembered she wasn't wearing pants. Before fully standing, she looked at the two women and considered her options. _I have nothing they haven't seen before. Besides, I'm pretty sure Deirdre saw me shirtless while patching me up._ With a sigh, she clambered to her feet, feeling wobbly and a little dizzy, and looked at Fish to lead the way.

The woman smirked and crooked her head in a follow me motion before sashaying out of the room. Nora had to scrabble to catch up and nearly fell a couple times, managing to exit the small room just in time to see her turn a corner into the larger basement area. To say the place was a mess would have been an understatement. Shelves and workbenches lined the room on three walls, all crammed with machinery, tools, and various metal and leather scraps. In tubs and bins and boxes she could see different computer and electrical components side by side with gears and glass and crystal. _Sturges would have a field day in here._ Imagining the easy going mechanical engineer genius diving head first into everything, she had to hold back laughter and settle with a grin.

Redirecting her attention back to her current keeper, she found her bent over a terminal in the corner. She wasn't bothering to use the chair in front of it and was just leaning forward instead, clacking at the keys and cursing under her breath. _My goodness, if I had the slightest interest in women, this would be a trying situation._ Nora contemplated while moving towards Fish to eye what she was doing. The moment she made it to the woman's side though, she straightened triumphantly and turned towards the mostly blanks wall in the room.

Covered with a few old advertising posters and partially separated out by a batted desk a few feet from it, the wall seemed to be the cleanest area in the basement. A few seconds after Fish turned to look at it, Nora saw why. Right in the center the brick work moved back and to the side to reveal a hidden chamber behind it. At Fish's approach, Nora trailing behind, the lights flickered on and the room seemed to gleam.

The fluorescent lights above bounced off of polished metal surfaces and lab equipment. In one corner was a neatly made bed with well made and well preserved blankets. Across a wall was a series of cabinets and a large table and everything seemed perfectly organized in and on it. The main thing that caught Nora's eye was the large pod across from the bed. It looked exactly like the one she stepped into in Vault 111 210 years ago, and she froze.

Swallowing in nervousness, she walked forward, slowly reaching out to touch the metal chamber. It was cool to the touch and, like everything else in the room, perfectly clean. Through the window she could see the pod was empty, and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing to hear.

Behind her, Fish eyed Nora with a critical gaze and cocked eyebrow. _She looks like she knows exactly what that thing is. Things to learn for later I guess,_ and she cleared her throat. "This is Billy's room, but he is hardly ever here, where we're going," she gestured to the door opposite of where they entered, "is here. You coming?"

Nora had jumped a little when Fish spoke, having nearly forgotten she was there. Banishing all other thoughts from her mind, she turned and nodded, scrabbling once again to keep up with Fish. Stepping through yet another door, Nora couldn't help her mouth dropping open in shock. If the last two areas were impressive, this was frankly astounding.

It almost looked like the design was based on a Vault, or that pieces of Vaults were used to make it. The room was large, looking as though it could be a common area or cafeteria for a school or workplace in size. Instead of being filled with tables and benches and decor, mannequins lined the outer edges, with peg board racks hanging on the walls behind them. On each mannequin was clothing and armor in various forms and seemed to be sorted to types of armor. Along one wall, various chests and steamer trunks were interspersed among them mannequin storing what Nora assumed was more armor, but could be something to match the rest of the room.

The peg boards on the wall held weapons of various types. Small handguns, shotguns, rifles, knives, swords, and much more were arranged across the walls, though there were blank areas that indicated room for more. In the middle of the room were two sections of rows of heavy metal stands in which more than a few held much large weapons of types Nora had never seen but were impressive nonetheless. Between those two sections were two large tables that had tools and armor and weapon pieces.

Fish was smiling at Nora, this was one of her favorite things. It was always nice to have one's collection admired and she didn't get the chance very often. She knew it was impressive and didn't try to hide the pride she had in it. The years of work placed into the room and the collection itself called for pride. Each stand had a different type of armor that was collected from all over the different wastelands. Each armor piece had special features and modifications that were done by their previous owners and taken from either their dead bodies or from long forgotten chests and abandoned places. Fish never killed for an armor piece or a weapon, but she wasn't about to leave any cherry piece behind whenever some idiot with a gun came at her.

It had been a few minutes and Nora was still staring, she had even begun to wander around the room some, looking closer at certain stands. Fish once again cleared her throat "I know it is all quite the sight to see, but I'm sure you'd rather get cleaned up first."

Sheepishly Nora turned back from the sword she had been examining "I apologize. I just never thought I would see such care and effort put into something like this. This makes me think of the old museums I used to go to as a child." Before Fish could ask what she was talking about, Nora rushed on, "But yes, I would definitely prefer a wash and clean clothes at the moment, thank you."

 _Museum? The real ones haven't been around for more than a while, unless you count that weird Nuka Cola one._ Fish decided to not question Nora on the odd statement and motioned for the woman to once again follow her. "Bathroom's through here, it will have anything might need, and a few things you probably won't," the crooked half smile return at the offhand comment, and Nora wasn't sure she wanted to know why. "These rooms, are pretty much mine aside from Dee's power armor room on the other end, so you don't have to worry about anyone wandering around aside from me. I'll drop some clothes in after you get in the shower. I'll be either be in my room, " she gestured to a door closer to the main rooms entrance "or back upstairs when you are done."

Nora was practically shoved into the indicated bathroom and didn't have a chance to question Fish on anything she was told. Deciding it was best to just go with it, she turned to regard the bathroom she was unceremoniously placed in and felt the awe and shock overtake her once again. Unlike the amenities offered in Diamond City, this was an actual bathroom. Shiny porcelain surfaces and tiled floors complete with large walk in shower and a pond sized bathtub had Nora's head reeling with delight.

 _I have to be dreaming._ To her there was no other explanation until she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her face had thinned and there were large circles under eyes. The new haircut and pulled back style only accentuated the harsh angles of her cheekbones and the bright lights showed every new bruise and cut. _Okay...I'm not dreaming...but damn it I'm going to pretend I am for just a little while._ Stripping off the too large shirt and her ruined underwear, Nora tossed them in the convenient laundry bin and went to enjoy the perfection that was real shower.

XXXXX

Across the wasteland, back in the ruins of the city, Kingsley moaned in ecstasy and ran her hands over the head of the man below her. Her back was pressed against a wall, sunlight streaming in over her mostly naked form, and thanks to the shoulders she was on, her head nearly touched the ceiling. Right before hit her peak, she took a hit off the inhaler gripped tightly in one hand and felt the world crash around her in slow motion, screaming out the release.

From between her legs, the raspy voice of her partner chuckled and easily bounced her off his shoulders. Gripping her waist easily, she slid her down between his body and the wall so she could hook her legs around his waist in turn. With just a few motions the remains of her panties were fully torn away and his pants were unzipped, the tattered flag used as belt long ago untied, and just low enough to free himself. Just as she was coming down from her multiple highs, he slid himself into her and she groaned again, nearly purring in happiness.

"Oh fuck, John!" her hips moved with his in a steady rhythm that came from partners who knew each others bodies well.

He responded only with another and adjusted slightly to move his hand between them to rub over her wet slit. Kingsley's eyes flew open and locked gazes with his black ones and she felt the next wave of pleasure rising. Adjusting her angle as best she could, she rose to meet it and made sure he came with her. Just as she let out another banshee scream, he bellowed in response and gave another three hard thrusts, spilling himself into her.

Kingsley couldn't move, for various reasons, but felt her partner shift as he took a hit from her inhaler and captured her mouth with his, shotgunning the wonderful drug known as Jet. Kingsley collapsed against him in pure and deep pleasure, and he collapsed against the wall, breathing deeply and continuing to hold her up. After a few minutes, he back to chuckle again, and then full out laugh.

"Hey, Rabbit, remember the first time we tried this?"

Her thoughts drifted in and out and latched on to his favorite pet name for her before she fully comprehended his question, and laughed in return before dreamily responding "I'm pretty sure one of us nearly died. How long ago was that? I can never remember."

He puffed out a breath and hitched her up again slightly, still buried comfortably inside her at the same time. He again chuckled at her sharp intake of breath at the movement, and proceeded to carry her over to the one of two couches in the room, laying himself down with her stretched on top. Huffing out a breathe in thought, his eyes narrowed while he considered her question. "More years than I like to think about. You were what, 16...17 at the time?"

"Mmmm sounds about right," she murmured as her hands roamed up the scarred surface of his chest, carefully avoiding the more tender areas that were more raw. Fumbling one hand over to the nearby coffee table and the metal tin on it. Flipping it open with her thumb, she popped two of the little pills easily and held another two in her teeth, trading them over to her partner in a languid kiss.

The both eased themselves into comfort of the dusty old coach with the sunshine warming their bodies and sighed. Just as she was drifting off into a drug haze, Kingsley's view of the bookshelf against the wall clouded over to instead a man who was part machine propped against a wall, bleeding out. He was talking to a woman in shadows, laughing despite the fact he was dying. Just as the vision started to fade, the woman leaned forward and cupped the mans face, showing a black leather glove, and the man handed her his gun. As she came back to the present, she felt a hand stroking up and down her spine and traveling up to massage against her scalp.

"Where'd you go off to this time, huh?"

She giggled in response and took another hit of jet. "Oh not far. Many exciting things coming our way...I can't wait." The words were muttered sleepily, and just at the end she finally drifted off, her partner just behind in reaching unconsciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

APOLOGIES!

To any and all waiting for an update on this, I promise I have not left this in the dust to be unfinished! I'm getting married on Oct 12th and wedding planning has taken over my life. Once all the shenanigans settle I promise I will get back to writing.

Thank you to all and again, many apologies.


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